Edison Force [Import]

A young ambitious reporter (Josh Pollack) discovers that an elite police squad is operating outside of the law. Josh's pursuit of the truth behind crime in Edison is fuelled initially by his own ambition to become a celebrated investigative journalist. But when Josh and his girlfriend are savagely attacked, the reasons behind his pursuit become slightly more noble.
I have to admit, I avoided watching this movie for a long time. I was tempted - every time I saw it staring at me in the DVD store I picked it up and usually set it quickly down again. The reason why I avoided it was Justin Timberlake. I really object when pop stars, teen idols, footballers, models, etc. are wedged into acting roles (wouldn't Rio Bravo have been as near to perfection as a film can be had not Ricky Nelson started to sing in the middle of it?) Therefore, if I see the likes of Paris Hilton on the cast list I usually won't bother. That being said, Edison is not a film aimed at a teenage audience; it seemed to be a serious film about Police corruption and the rest of the cast did include Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey. So after much inner turmoil, I succumbed to the temptation and settled down to watch it....I shouldn't have bothered!
The mind boggles as to why Timberlake was cast as Josh Pollack. I could have understood if this was a minor role, but it is not; the entire plot is based around his character. I could even have understood if his character was the traditional young idealist doing everything he could to make the world a better place (I am sure that even Justin Timberlake could have pulled off young and pure of heart). But no, Josh Pollock is a complicated character who wants fame and a Pulitzer Prize using the minimum amount of effort. In someone else's hands, Josh Pollock could have emerged as great cinema lead. But enough of this Justin bashing, because this film has many other flaws...
The plot is ludicrous at times (a police officer gets shot dead inside the District Attorney's office and nobody really seems to bat an eye). There are hardly any likeable characters in the film, no one really seems to get punished for their misdeeds and the film's moral message is lost along the way.
In short, Edison is a mess, which is a bit of a shame. I believe with the lead role recast and a few minor script revisions it had the potential to have been a great film.