Sometimes you want to watch something familiar and unassuming and Jagged Edge is a perfect example of such a movie. It’s one of the several romance/murder eighties thrillers starring Jeff Bridges alongside Glenn Close. It has a vibe of a Sunday murder mystery but it also doubles as a courtroom drama. And a pretty good one too. If you’re a fan of the genre, by know you already know the rules and could practically be a lawyer yourself. This gives you an opportunity to see how the lingo and movie gimmicks have changed over the years.
Speaking of things changing over the years, Jagged Edge is the first part of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas’s San Francisco thriller trilogy. The other two movies are now immortal Basic Instinct [1992] and underrated Jade [1995]. The movie we’re talking about today might be the weakest of the bunch but it’s still very watchable.
Powered by great performances by not only Bridges and Close but also Peter Coyote and Robert Loggia who was even nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. There’s enough mystery and twists to keep you interested and engaged ’till the end.
Paige Forrester was soundly asleep when a masked intruder carrying a knife broke into her beach house. After killing the maid, he made his way to her room and brutally killed her, writing the word BITCH on the wall above her desecrated dead body. Police detectives and DA Krasny soon point the finger of suspicion to her husband Jack…
You have to remember that these were the eighties and that audiences along with studios had different standards for movies. Jagged Edge is a bit clunky and it features a story that felt familiar even then and not to mention now after countless television shows and movies. However, it has a certain charm and pacing that enables you to just forget about everything else and immerse yourself in its world.
A perfect dose of escapism in this increasingly crazy world. As I already mentioned, Bridges went on to star in several similar movies, so if you liked Jagged Edge you might want to check out The Morning After, 8 Million Ways to Die, Against All Odds and Nadine. To conclude your marathon you can top things off with The Vanishing from 1993 with Bridges in a totally different role. Enjoy.
Director: Richard Marquand
Writer: Joe Eszterhas
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Peter Coyote, Lance Henriksen, Robert Loggia, Michael Dorn, William Allen Young
Fun Facts: A sequel was originally planned with Robert Loggia and Glenn Close reprising their roles. Eventually, the script was rewritten as a stand-alone film, Loggia and Close were replaced with Burt Reynolds and Theresa Russell respectively, and the film was eventually released as Physical Evidence (1989)
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089360/
