Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Jagged Edge Blu-ray Movie Review

A straightforward whodunit bolstered by fine performances.

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater May 24, 2011

Before Basic Instinct, which turned him into one of the highest paid screenwriters in Hollywood, and Showgirls, which subsequently cemented his reputation as an overpaid hack, Joe Eszterhas penned or co-wrote a handful of marginally successful movies throughout the 1980s. Perhaps the best of these is Jagged Edge, a taut whodunit-meets-courtroom thriller that hints at the pulpy erotic direction his later scripts would take. The film isn’t a masterpiece of its genre, but it is solidly constructed, and it keeps you guessing about the identity of the killer until the final frames, even though you know there’s only one option that’s dramatically substantive enough to really work. Most viewers will have figured out the twist long before the Scooby-Doo-like reveal—where the murderer is literally unmasked—but this is one of those the journey is more interesting than the destination scenarios. Besides, it says something about the quality of the filmmaking that Jagged Edge is still entertaining despite its rather obvious ending.

The film opens on a dark and stormy night—you can practically hear Eszterhas’ fingers tapping on the typewriter keys—as a masked, dressed-in- black intruder creeps into wealthy socialite Paige Forrester’s beach house bedroom, ties her to the bedpost, and then savagely murders her with a hunting knife that features, yes, a jagged edge. When the police arrive on the Manson Murders-style scene, the word “bitch” is scrawled in crude, bloody letters on the wall behind Paige’s body. Hotshot district attorney Thomas Krasny (Peter Coyote) immediately arrests the key suspect, Paige’s husband Jack (Jeff Bridges)—a newspaper editor who looks genuinely distraught over his wife’s death—but there are some legitimate doubts about Jack’s guilt. While there is the seemingly damning evidence that Jack is the sole beneficiary of his dead wife’s massive estate, we also get the sense that Krasny has it out for the newspaperman, who has been writing harsh editorials about the D.A.’s prospective senate run. Could this all be an elaborate frame job, or did Jack really have the nerve to murder his wife in cold blood? That’s the question that sits at the center of Jagged Edge, and Eszterhas gives us ample evidence to support either conclusion. He also ups the ante by introducing Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close), a corporate lawyer who has hang-ups about criminal law—she once incriminated an innocent man, who later hung himself—but who is finally persuaded to head Jack’s legal council. “I’ll take the case on one condition,” she tells him. “If you lie to me, or if I think you’re guilty, I’m out.”

Of course, the two eventually become intimate, and this adds another layer of intrigue. Is Teddy sleeping with a scheming murderer, or is Jack just an unlucky fall guy who genuinely has feelings for her? If he did do it, will she be the next to die under the jagged edge of a six-inch blade? The tension is supplied by Eszterhas’ ambiguity and Jeff Bridge’s innate good-naturedness as an actor. He’s such a nice guy, and we want to believe Jack is innocent, but at the same time we know he has a history of womanizing and—let’s face it—he is the most obvious suspect. Teddy believes wholeheartedly in his innocence, though, and over the course of several crackling courtroom sequences, she mounts an almost airtight defense, stumping Krasny—the prosecutor and Teddy’s former partner—at every turn. The glut of legal dramas in the 1990s has somewhat dulled our ability to appreciate courtroom thrillers, but Jagged Edge is at its best—and Eszterhas at his best—when Teddy is shouting out objections, mentally besting her opponent, and cleverly cross-examining witnesses. And although there are definitely some gaps in the film’s internal logic, especially as Eszterhas draws the story to a close, there’s not plot hole large enough that the movie’s brisk, don’t stop to ask any questions pacing can’t surmount.

Jagged Edge was directed by Welsh filmmaker Richard Marquand, who had previously been tapped by George Lucas to helm the lumbering, Ewok-filled third entry of the Star Wars series, Return of the Jedi. Before that, however, he had made the Donald Sutherland spy thriller Return of the Needle, which bears a few passing resemblances to Jagged Edge, as it also intermingles love and murder. (A knife is the key weapon in both films as well.) Marquand’s direction is bland and commonplace here—there’s nothing worth noting about the film’s visual style or tone whatsoever—but this workmanlike approach works for Eszterhas’ equally unoriginal script. This is a straightforward, one- dimensional genre film that needs little dissection or explanation; it’s entertaining, and that’s enough. Jagged Edge does benefit, though, from having some terrific actors in both primary and supplemental roles. Robert Loggia is excellent as a foul-mouthed private eye who watches Teddy’s back, and a relatively young Lance Henrikson shows up in a short but welcome part as a staff member at the district attorney’s office. This may not be the film for which Jeff Bridges or Glenn Close are most remembered, but both esteemed actors are worth watching here. Bridges is his usual laid-back everyman, but this persona can also be deceiving, and we’re never sure what his character’s true intentions are. Close is strong too, alternately confident and vulnerable as she slowly lets her emotions cloud her judgment. Just be prepared to be let down by the “really, that’s it?” ending.

Jagged Edge Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Image Entertainment brings Jagged Edge to Blu-ray with an impressive 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer, framed in the film's original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. You never know what you're going to get when it comes to catalog titles from the 1980s, so I was surprised by how good Jagged Edge looks here. The print Image used is immaculate, with only a few scattered white specks and no major debris, stains, or scratches whatsoever. Going along with this, grain has been preserved—no DNR atrocities—and there's no evidence of edge enhancement or any unnecessary boosting. Clarity is generally strong—if never tack sharp—and there's a good degree of fine detail, especially in close-ups, where you can make out clothing textures and facial features. Color is fairly typical for a 1980s drama—realistic, unstylized, and with a slightly creamy quality to skin tones and highlights. There's not much that you might deem "vivid" here, but neutral tones are rich—expect lots of courtroom mahoganies—and all colors are suitably dense. Likewise, black levels are as deep as they need to be and contrast is tight but not overpumped. Lastly, there are no overt compression problems to soil the experience. I doubt very much that Jagged Edge could look any better.

Jagged Edge Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Image has also fitted the film with a solid, if unremarkable, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. The mix starts big, with thunderclaps, pouring rain, and violent stabs from John Barry's score in the first two scenes, but after that the track quiets down substantially. This is, after all, primarily a courtroom thriller, so most of the emphasis is on clear, crisp dialogue. And in this, the mix delivers. You'll notice no muffling, crackles, or hisses, and voices are always balanced and easy to understand. The mix is anchored almost entirely up front, but the rear channels are used sparsely for ambience— like ocean surf in the surrounds when Jack scatters his wife's ashes—as well as providing bleeding room for the score. The music has decent presence too, with a bit of low-end oomph during key sequences and clarity throughout the range. The disc includes optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles.

Jagged Edge Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The sole supplement on the disc is a two-minute, high definition theatrical trailer.

Jagged Edge Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jagged Edge is no unconditional 1980s classic, but it's worth revisiting for fans of whodunits, legal thrillers, and homicidal mysteries. I'm glad Image Entertainment is taking the time to license and release films of the sort, which would probably get overlooked in the Blu-ray market otherwise. They've done a fine job too, with a faithful and even occasionally impressive audio/video presentation. Worth at least a rental, but at this low price, I'd say if you're interested go ahead and pick this one up.