7.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.3 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
A plane crash in the freezing Alaskan wilderness pits intellectual billionaire Charles Morse against self satisfied fashion photographer Robert Green in a brutal struggle for survival. Each soon discovers that the greatest danger resides not in nature, but from human fear, treachery, and quite possible, murder.
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Anthony Hopkins, Elle Macpherson, Harold Perrineau, Kathleen WilhoiteThriller | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
English SDH, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
By now, most movie trivia buffs are familiar with the apocryphal Alec Baldwin “beard” incident as recounted by producer Art Linsom in his book What Just Happened? As the story goes, Baldwin showed up to the set of the David Mamet-scripted The Edge with a massive Grizzly Adams beard, feeling that his character—a self-possessed fashion photographer—would indeed sport a facial hair piece of Walt Whitmanesque proportions. Linson, on behalf of the studio—which was already wary about casting Baldwin in the first place—had to ask the future 30 Rock star to shave. This did not go well. Baldwin, known for his tantrums, erupted with some choice words for those present, calling them, among other things—and I’m paraphrasing here—maternal copulaters. Besides all of the obvious reasons, the incident is funny (and ironic) because having an outwardly macho man explode because he feels inwardly insecure about himself seems like something that could very easily happen in a Mamet script.
Baby, it's cold outside.
The Edge makes its Blu-ray debut with a 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that's surprisingly strong. For whatever reason, I really hadn't expected the film to look this good in high definition. The 2.35:1 framed image is generally sharp, nicely toned, and beautifully defined, with a sense of depth and presence that's very impressive at times. Take, for instance, the scene around the campfire in the rain, right before the bear attack. The combination of clarity, spot-on black levels, and effective lighting creates a genuinely stunning picture. And for the most part, all of these traits hold up throughout the film. There are a few scattered soft shots, but fine detail is easily visible almost all of the time, displaying every wrinkle on Hopkins' wizened face, and giving lucidity to other textures, from the knobby weft of a wool blazer to tree bark and bear hide. Contrast is tight, with deep, rarely crushing blacks and bright highlights. Color is appropriately bleak most of the time, but it's also vividly saturated when called for, as with the cherry red float-plane or the intensely green forest foliage. The film's grain structure has been left intact, but it's thin, natural, and unobtrusive, only spiking occasionally during some of the darker scenes. Really, I have very few complaints. Some early scenes display a bit of telecine wobble—when the image shakes subtly—and there are a handful of white/black specks on the print, but I didn't spot any compression related anomalies, and overcranked edge enhancement is entirely absent. All in all, The Edge looks fantastic.
Likewise, I was quite taken with the film's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track, which may not offer the insane sonic theatrics of more direct action films, but certainly works well for David Mamet's man-to-man dialogue and the film's aurally diverse Alaskan setting. Voices throughout are clear of any muffling, drop-outs, or clipping, and the conversations are perfectly balanced among the other elements of the mix. Jerry Goldsmith's score is as huge and dynamic as the mountainous landscape, filling the entire soundfield with rich horns, sweeping strings, and satisfying low-end presence. The various sound effects are just as beefy and effective. Right off the bat we get the hushed whistle of wind blowing snow through the rear channels, and the environmental ambience rarely lets up, giving us thunder that cracks and ripples all around, rain pouring down heavily, and other outdoorsy sounds. The crash of the seaplane is the film's sonic showpiece, as geese shatter the glass windshield and a metal pontoon gets ripped from the fuselage. Then, when the plane dives into the lake, water gurgles up all around us. It's a scene that sounds great with the volume turned up.
Unfortunately, there are no bonus materials on this disc besides a theatrical trailer (1080p, 2:27) and collection of trailers for other dad-friendly 20th Century Fox films, including Broken Arrow (1080p, 2:28), Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1080p, 1:00), Flight of the Phoenix (1080p, 2:20), and The Siege (1080p, 2:09).
If I remember correctly, The Edge was the victim of a pretty crappy non-anamorphic DVD treatment, so it's good to see the film get the proper home video release that it deserves. No, it's not a masterpiece of survival cinema, but it is a fun time at the movies, thanks mostly to Anthony Hopkins and his man versus beast showdown with Bart the Bear. Audio/Video specs are impressive here, and the only thing holding back this release is a lack of supplementary materials. Otherwise, The Edge is well worth your time if you're looking for a smart, outdoorsy thriller, and it would make a great Father's Day gift. Recommended.
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