Pretty Good

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Good concept, poorly executed.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

A slick and glossy murder mystery set amongst the rich and beautiful people of San Francisco. Very much of its time which means the women wear big shoulder pads and the men are all in tailored suits.It starts off with a Hitchcockian murder scene as a subjective forward tracking camera puts us in the place of the murderer as he moves about the luxurious beach-house, quickly dispatches the poor house-maid (whose death is hardly mentioned at all in the ensuing investigation) and then ritually slaughters the owner, the wealthy Paige Forrester. So far, so okay. Suspicion then falls on her handsome, newspaper editor husband, played by Jeff Bridges, who for much of the film is apparently the only suspect before an almost caricature of the blonde, tennis-playing Lothario stakes his claim much later just to make the whodunit at least have the choice of the two potential killers.Not that it's ever much in doubt as the accused's reluctantly-appointed solicitor, on-the-rebound solicitor Glenn Close, gets too up close and personal with her client and is soon confusing the wood for the trees as she engineers a brilliant defence for him, with the help of her trusty, crusty sidekick, played by Robert Loggia who also serves as her conscience and guide.Like I said, there was never much doubt about the final identity of the murderer and it's hard to feel much sympathy for Close's character as she is so easily seduced by Bridges' roguish charms and horse-riding skills. Personally, I found the characterisation as well as the plotting to be clichéd with direction not much above what I'd expect to see in an average TV movie. Bridges and Close never really spark and neither convey any emotional depth to their characters, which might of course have been because they didn't have any in the first place.I like a good psychological thriller, but this one didn't really engage me and with a too predictable twist, was rather a let down for me in the end. More blunt-edged than jagged, I guess you'd say.

San Francisco heiress Page Forrester is brutally murdered along with the maid in a sadistic manner. District attorney Thomas Krasny (Peter Coyote) has the case. Her husband Jack (Jeff Bridges) is soon a suspect with a financial motive. He hires lawyer Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) who worked under Krasny. She hasn't done a criminal case since a questionable case 4 years ago with Krasny. She falls for Jack but she can't be certain about him.The problem is that Krasny only has a circumstantial case. I kept waiting for some sort of physical evidence. I know this was pre-CSI but it still feels very flimsy. Jeff Bridges is a little too cold and I can't buy completely that single mom Glenn Close would fall for him so quickly. That's because Close exudes smarts and not the flighty innocent that is required. The acting goes overboard a bit after the second crime is revealed. I don't think she did anything out of the ordinary. The final scene doesn't really make much sense either because he would obviously be discovered later. There is a good whodunnit mystery here but it has a few too many jagged edges.

Jagged Edge is a glossy 1980's courtroom thriller about a man accused of murdering his wife. The lawyer he hires falls in love with him as she tries to clear him of murder. It is a simple plot and much of the enjoyment comes from trying to guess whether the husband is guilty or not. Both the leads Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close put in good performances especially Bridges who is all charm without ever seeming too innocent. Peter Coyote adds excellent support as the prosecuting lawyer. There are a few negatives, the courtroom scenes all seem a bit clichéd, clumsy and predictable and at times in the middle the film does lose momentum however the last half an hour is engrossing and pulls it back.I found Jagged Edge to be an entertaining thriller with a good pay off. Well worth watching.

"Jagged Edge" is a well written and extremely entertaining psychological thriller which unsurprisingly was also a major box office success. Essentially, it's a murder mystery which features some interesting characters, numerous unexpected developments and some great performances from an exceptionally talented group of actors. Director Richard Marquand is very effective in creating many moments of tension especially during the courtroom scenes and the whole drama keeps the audience in suspense and in a state of uncertainty about the defendant's innocence or guilt throughout the whole movie.After wealthy socialite Page Forrester (Maria Mayenzet) and her maid are savagely murdered and Jack Forrester's (Jeff Bridges) injuries require hospital treatment, D.A. Thomas Krasny (Peter Coyote) visits the crime scene and rapidly decides that Jack (who is the sole beneficiary of Page's considerable estate) must be the murderer. Jack is the very successful editor of a top newspaper which was owned and controlled by Page.Jack is subsequently arrested and charged with murder and seeks help for his defence from the firm of corporate attorneys with whom he has a longstanding relationship. One of their number is Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) who is an ex-criminal lawyer who had a great track record but gave up that field of her profession because she became very uncomfortable about the unethical conduct of her colleague in the D.A.'s office (the aforementioned Thomas Krasny). She agrees to take on Jack's defence but only after a great deal of persuasion from both Jack and senior members of her firm who offer a partnership as an added inducement.Teddy's decision then leads her into a surprising series of events which begin with her becoming Jack's lover and continue with her having to deal with a number of incidents which prove to be very challenging both professionally and emotionally before she finally gets an opportunity to publicly expose Krasny's grossly unprofessional conduct after the case reaches its conclusion.Teddy experiences a considerable amount of conflict which starts when Jack and her firm want her to take on the case against her wishes and continues as her commitment to the case and her relationship with Jack cause conflict to develop within her own family. Her conflict with Krasny during the case is also profound because of matters that arise in the case but also because she's regarded him with utter contempt for such a long time.Teddy and Jack are also both full of contradictions. She gave up criminal law because she was appalled by Krasny's unethical practices and yet she gets embroiled in a relationship with her client which is extremely unethical and unprofessional. She also experiences contradictory feelings about Jack's possible innocence or guilt and Jack continuously gives out contradictory impressions about himself by his various expressions and actions. The whole issue of contradictions also becomes a strong feature of the clues, the evidence and the story developments which continue to be seen as the action proceeds.Thomas Krasny is politically ambitious and in the past had withheld evidence which would have proved the innocence of a man who later committed suicide in prison.The characters in "Jagged Edge" are often idiosyncratic but never dull and the performances by Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Peter Coyote and Robert Loggia (in a wonderful supporting role) are very impressive throughout.