Jagged Edge (Widescreen/Full Screen)

There is no difference between this and a million other courtroom dramas. You have the smart, fiesty female lawyer who swears to everyone she won't fall for the charms of the handsome rich defendent but, of course she falls for his charms and into his bed. From that point Teddy Barnes lost all credibility of claiming she's a smart lawyer. The plot doesn't stay true to the characters. Teddy's a smart woman yet she plays the dumb victim at every turn. She misses signs anyone in their first year of law school should spot. Jack is painted as suave and brilliant yet he leaves the typewriter ( the item that brings it all together ) in his closet for Teddy to find. Jagged Edge has a lot of supposedly smart folks doing dumb things and it makes no sense. The film started out as an intelligent thriller but switched to a cheap serial killer flick with a tacky and very stupid ending.

On the flipside, this is a very good movie IF you watch it for entertainment only. If you watch it for knowledge or to see a good thriller you are wasting your time. The plot can be figured out by a five year-old in ten minutes and this film is NOTHING unique. Close's and Bridges' chemistry keeps you interested no matter how shabby the film ends up. But the true winners are Robert Loggia and Peter Coyote who steal the show easily with their vibrant, exciting performances. Loggia brought some comedy relief to the drabby scenes and Coyote sparked things up when Close got boring. Jeff Bridges appeared quite dry and I didn't buy him as someone with the brains of masterminding a so-called great plan. Glenn Close played Teddy the way she should have been played. The problem is the character was written with too much heart and not enough brain. That's not too good for a lead character that everyone keeps claiming is such a great lawyer. I would definitely recommend this but beware...disappointments await just around the corner. Since Jagged Edge was made there have been hundreds of films of this nature. I would recommend 1993's Guilty As Sin as one that should be top on your list.

When a San Francisco socialite is brutally attacked and murdered, her publisher-husband, Jack Forrester (Jeff Bridges), is accused of the crime. Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) decides to defend the charming, manipulative Jack, only to disregard legal ethics by having a torrid affair with him. With the help of private eye Sam Ransom (Robert Loggia), she takes on ruthless D.A. Thomas Krasney (Peter Coyote) who's using the case as a political stepping-stone and will do anything it takes to win a conviction.

Rather infamous screenwriter Joe Eszterhas certainly knows the highs and lows of a lopsided career. He has gone from writing gems like Basic Insinct, to the mediocre at best...Sliver, to total trash that is Showgirls. I would put this particular story somewhere between Basic Instict (not as good) and Showgirls (not as bad) The way that Jack and Teddy get together seems a bit forced in my opinion. The ambiguity of Forrester's guilt or innocence throughout isn't as effective here and is foreshadowed too early for my tastes. Close gives a strong performance as Teddy, a woman torn between her judicial duties, and her attraction for her client. The forbidden affair component probably prepared her for her turn later on in Fatal Attraction. For his part, Bridges is Ok, but doesn't have the needed range to handle the duality of his character on a consistant level throughout the movie...The late Richard Marquand proves that you can direct a mega sci-fi epic, like Return Of The Jedi, and then take on a thriller like this. Clearly, he was going for a film that oozes the Hitchcock style, as a homage and not a mere rip off. Most of the film works--save for a few missteps and hiccups that I mentioned.

The DVD doesn't have much on it, in the way of bonus material, save for a few production notes and the seemingly standard theatrical trailer. You can choose to watch the movie in either the full-screen, or, widescreen formats.

Despite a few of my "issues", with Jagged Edge, I still recommend it.

If you enjoy watching real pros work their changes on a familiar
convention, you'll enjoy this entertaining suspense flick.