October 25, 2022
'The Edge'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons and Van Lathan never feel sorry for a man who owns a plane as they rewatch the 1997 survival thriller 'The Edge' starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin.
Cast
Anthony Hopkins as Charles Morse
Alec Baldwin as Bob Green
Elle Macpherson as Mickey
Harold Perrineau as Stephen
Directed by: Lee Tamahori
Written by: David Mamet
Produced by: Art Linson
Notes
- Box office: $43.3 million – not a hit but made its money back.
- Harrison Ford was the first choice for the Hopkins role – 'this movie is one of the biggest movies of the decade' if he'd done it. Dustin Hoffman turned it down. Robert De Niro went very far, including a big table read with Baldwin, but backed out because 'the bear worries me.'
- Bill Pullman was lined up as a last-second replacement when Baldwin refused to shave his beard. 12 pages of Art Linson's book are dedicated to the beard standoff. Baldwin eventually shaved but refused to speak to the director for the rest of the shoot.
- Baldwin trashed the movie in his autobiography – said the Mamet script was great but they turned it into 'a dumb action movie.'
- Bart the Bear: an Alaskan Kodiak bear, basically the greatest animal actor ever. Career: The Great Outdoors, White Fang, Legends of the Fall, 12 Monkeys, The Edge. Was a presenter at the 1998 Academy Awards.
- Hopkins worked with Bart twice (Legends of the Fall and The Edge). His trainer said Hopkins 'acknowledged and respected Bart like a fellow actor.'
- Hopkins had a herniated disc and got hypothermia during the river scene. Production shut down for ~10 days.
- A Brazilian reality TV show was created where contestants had to survive using techniques from the film.
- Jenna Fischer said this is one of her favorite movies and watches it every year.
- Filmed in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada.
- Ebert criticized the end credit for Bart the Bear appearing right after the emotionally fraught ending as 'a spectacularly bad idea.'
Categories
Roger Ebert's review
Quote from Rog's review:
“The Edge shoots itself in the foot at the end. Just as we're savoring the implications of what just happened, we immediately get a big credit for Bart the Bear.”
Ebert liked the survival story but felt the ending undercut the emotional payoff.
Most re-watchable scene
- Bill: killing the bear is the most rewatchable; his favorite scene is Charles figuring out the affair in the cabin (the watch/engraving clue).
- Van: the cabin confrontation is the best scene; the most rewatchable is 'Bart the bear doing his thing.'
What aged the best?
- The aging jealous rich guy with the hot wife dynamic – always works.
- Outdoor survival movies as a genre.
- 'People in the woods die of shame' monologue – Van wrote about it in his book.
- Elle Macpherson in the nightgown.
- The homemade compass / DIY gadget moments.
What aged the worst?
- Alec Baldwin as a fashion photographer – not convincing, too gruff/masculine.
- Elle Macpherson's acting.
- The black guy dying (rule of three in action/horror movies).
- The billionaire-as-hero concept – couldn't make this movie today because nobody would root for a billionaire.
- The ending where nobody greets Charles warmly when rescued.
Weak link of the movie
Elle Macpherson's acting, definitively. A real actress (Nicole Kidman or Uma Thurman) would have made a huge difference.
Casting what-ifs
- Harrison Ford was the first choice for the Hopkins role.
- Robert De Niro went far down the road but backed out because 'the bear worries me.'
- Dustin Hoffman turned it down.
Re-casting couch
Uma Thurman or Nicole Kidman for the Elle Macpherson part – both hosts picked Uma.
Over-acting award
Hopkins when he dials it up: 'Should we lay down and die, Bob?' – suddenly goes big and intense after being calm the whole film.
Best "that guy"
- Harold Perrineau – 'Walt's dad from Lost.'
- L.Q. Jones – the guy who asks for $30-40 million; legendary Western character actor.
Apex Mountain
- Bear movies: yes, this is apex mountain for bear movies.
- Not Hopkins, not Baldwin, not Elle Macpherson.
- The Omega Seamaster Chronograph watch.
Best (or worst!) life lessons from the movie
Don't let your younger wife hang out with a handsome fashion photographer.
Best double feature for this movie
- Bill: 'Cliffhanger'.
- Van: Trespass.
What memorabilia would you want (or not want!) from the movie?
- The bear tooth necklace – both agreed it was best.
- The pocket watch.
Who won the movie?
- Bart the Bear – despite being in the movie for only about 4.5 minutes.
- If forced to choose between Hopkins and Baldwin: Hopkins wins.