#178. Edmond (2005)

 

 

Based on a Mamet play from the '80s, Edmond is about a chummy and repressed businessman who just kinda snaps one evening and sets out for a night of debauchery and sexual release. It sort of combines the feverish, all-nighter vibes of After Hours and Eyes Wide Shut with the vengeful misanthropy of Taxi Driver and Falling Down.

 

Unlike Travis Bickle or William Foster, though, there's absolutely no mistaking how pathetic Edmond Burke is. The power fantasy stuff is almost completely absent, and what we're left with instead is an awkward and often uncomfortable tale of loneliness and frustration. It's not as fun as those earlier comparables, nor is it nearly as consistent (the two scenes with Julia Stiles, for instance, don't convince in the slightest), and the affected dialogue gets a bit tiresome at times, but the intimate scope and dreamlike atmosphere mostly manage to similarly draw you in and keep you guessing.

 

Plus, if you're as big a fan of William H. Macy as I am, you probably shouldn't miss this one. I don't know if he's ever been more ferocious, or more pitiful (which is saying something), than he is here.

 

Grade: B+

#76. The Edge (1997)

 

 

Prior Viewings: 1-2, though I don't think I'd seen the entire thing from beginning to end before now.

 

The Edge belongs to possibly my all-time favourite quasi-genre: the '90s studio thriller. These movies are silly (compliment), disposable (another compliment), and stylistically nostalgic to me. They're like my form of cinematic comfort food, and I have a soft spot for almost all of them - particularly the ones I've long been familiar with.

 

Even putting all that aside, though, this movie's got some genuine muscle. It has stunning views, suspenseful action set pieces, and a sense of arduousness to it (by the end, these guys look legitimately battered and worn). Despite the pulpy and somewhat heightened presentation, it all feels real, which I guess is bound to happen when you use an actual bear in your production. Bart's the true MVP here.

 

Also making a difference are the humans involved. David Mamet's script injects some predictably sharp dialogue (with more than a few amusing anecdotes), and Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins manage to create some compelling and ambiguous chemistry with one another. This isn't some hidden masterpiece or anything, but I think it's a lot more beautiful, heart-pounding, and entertaining than its reputation often suggests.

 

Grade: A-