The Movie Dude: Things fall apart in ‘The Edge’

In any given situation, if something terrible goes down you can simply pick up the phone and dial 911. On the flip side, if something minuscule happens, like a paper cut, you can cover it with a Band-Aid and call it a day.

But what happens when you strip all that away? When left to your own devices, do you really have what it takes to survive? That’s one of the many questions presented in “The Edge,” an adventure-thriller that takes away your security blanket and leaves you stranded in the middle of a cold nowhere.

Anthony Hopkins plays Charles Morse, a billionaire magazine publisher. He’s quiet and reserved, yet assertive, and is extremely intelligent, retaining vast amounts of information from the myriad books he reads. He’s married to Mickey (Elle Macpherson), a beautiful model who some would claim is way out of his league.

Alec Baldwin plays Bob Green, a photographer who works for Charles. While he appears to be a laid-back sort, you can tell that right below the surface lies a very superficial person who doesn’t like to get his hands dirty.

Right away, through Charles’ mannerisms, you’re able to tell he thinks something is going on between Bob and Mickey, who seem to have an overly flirtatious relationship. For the time being he keeps his concerns to himself.

Along with a large entourage, the trio travels to Alaska for a wildlife photo shoot. Charles feels right at home in the rustic environment and despite his billionaire status quickly impresses the locals with his remarkable intellect.

The photo shoot starts out well but soon hits a snag. Not satisfied with what he has to work with, Bob suggests flying farther north to find an Indian man whom he thinks would make a perfect model. He invites Charles to go with him; Charles agrees in order to experience some type of adventure, no matter how little.

Aboard the small prop plane, Charles and Bob engage in small talk, leading Charles to express, albeit subtly, his suspicions about Bob and Mickey. The conversation takes a turn from out of left field when Charles bluntly asks, “How are you planning to kill me?”

Before Bob can answer, the plane, quite literally, hits trouble and spirals out of control, ultimately crashing into a lake below. The pilot dies instantly, leaving only Charles, Bob and Bob’s assistant, Stephen, played by Harold Perinneau (Michael on “Lost”).

The three swim ashore, wet, cold, frightened and alone. Charles keeps his calm and tries to keep the others calm as well, but the fact remains that they’re out in the middle of nowhere, without so much as a Band-Aid to put on their cuts and scrapes. Truly the definition of strangers in a strange land.

As if the fact that they have no food, water or means of escape isn’t enough, their nightmare truly begins when they cross paths with a massive Kodiak bear. The three attempt to evade him, but the bear is persistent and begins stalking them, attacking every chance he gets.

What started out as an inconvenient matter of life and death has now become life and dismemberment shortly followed by death, followed by digestion. Charles, Bob and Stephen will have to learn to rely on each other and pull their own weight.

With his extensive knowledge, Charles becomes their unspoken leader. Unfortunately, his knowledge is all theory and no practice. What he must do is find a way to put all of his know-how to use or else he, and his two compatriots, will die — in the most vicious way possible if the bear has anything to do with it.

With everything going on, Charles’ question to Bob about how he was planning to kill him still looms in the air. The only real question now is if there’s anything to it, or was Charles being overly paranoid?

Regardless, the two will have to put their differences aside or they’ll end up suffering a fate worse than death between the jaws of a 1 1⁄2-ton beast.

David Mamet, famous for writing great movies like “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “The Untouchables,” also wrote “The Edge.” An adventure-survival thriller wouldn’t seem to be his style, but once you watch it you’ll realize that it has his name all over it.

The genius of Mamet’s writing is in his dialogue. It would seem obvious to say that a lot is expressed through what an actor says. But what make Mamet’s characters so brilliant isn’t what they say, but what they don’t say.

Hopkins and Baldwin have several conversations in this movie where they’ll say one thing, but something completely different is being conveyed. Don’t worry, though. You don’t have to be Einstein or even Ben Stein to pick up on it because it’s laid on pretty thick and adds to the film’s overall tension.

With thrills, adventure and solid performances, “The Edge” is a great movie to kill two hours with. Besides, how could you go wrong with Hannibal Lecter fighting a giant bear?

The Movie Dude, Joe Altomere of Fort Myers, grew up in his parents’ video store in Plantersville, Texas. He owns close to 2,000 DVDs and Blu-ray discs and considers that only the start of his collection. E-mail him at jaltomere@yahoo.com.

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