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Edison

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Edison (2005)

July. 29,2005
|
5.3
|
R
| Drama Action Thriller
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In the troubled city of Edison, a young journalist, his jaded editor, and an honest investigator from the district attorney's office join forces to gather evidence against corrupt members of an elite police unit.

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Reviews

Reptileenbu
2005/07/29

Did you people see the same film I saw?

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Lidia Draper
2005/07/30

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

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Rexanne
2005/07/31

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

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Isbel
2005/08/01

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

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SnoopyStyle
2005/08/02

Pollack (Justin Timberlake) is a young ambitious reporter on the trails of corrupted cops, but he finds a more pervasive rot in the city. Morgan Freeman plays his editor who first fires him then mentors him. LL Cool J plays the conflicted cop, and Dylan McDermott plays the corrupted crazy cop. The cast also includes Kevin Spacey and John Heard. That's a great list of actors.This is Justin Timberlake's first big acting gig. He's basically playing himself, a young buck over his head against some of the biggest players around. So he fits the role perfectly. Morgan Freeman is the wise old man although I didn't need to see him do old man dancing. Dylan McDermott brings great intensity although he starts to overact around midpoint of the movie. And that's when it slowly unraveled. The ending is a mess.

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Comeuppance Reviews
2005/08/03

"Edison Force" is the biggest direct-to-video release of the year. It definitely had some competition which includes "End Game" (With Cuba Gooding Jr. and James Woods), "The Big White" (With Robin Williams and Holly Hunter) and "Grilled". (With Ray Romano, Burt Reynolds, and Juilette Lewis) "Edison Force" is about Joshua (Timberlake) who is a journalist. He uncovers corruption in the police force. One of the most evil cops is Lazerov (McDermott). He tells his boss Moses (Freeman) and they team up with Wallace (Spacey) and Reigert, the D.A. (Cary Elwes) to blow the whistle. But Lazerov doesn't want the secret to come out and he tries to kill Joshua.What saves this movie is the acting. Timberlake is OK. Some of his line readings are terrible though. Freeman and Spacey put in their usual professional performances. Dylan McDermott is the standout. You wish he had more screen time. John Heard drops by and gives a boring role as the chief of police some energy. The action scenes are fun and exciting also. I almost forgot that LL Cool J was in it. He's so wooden and aloof, you forget he's in the movie.If you don't take it seriously, you'll have a good time with it.For more insanity, please visit: comeuppancereviews.com

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StrayButlerReturns
2005/08/04

Upon its completion in 2005, Edison (alternatively titled Edison Force) endured a torturous limbo existence. Following a disastrous reception at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival as well as terrible test screening reactions, its theatrical release was jettisoned and it headed straight to DVD. Similar to Uwe Boll's BloodRayne, one will likely glance at the cast list for this movie and wonder why such big-name stars agreed to appear in it. Sure, witnessing the likes of LL Cool J and Justin Timberlake in this type of direct-to-DVD action fodder is not much of a shock, but when they're placed alongside such respected actors as Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman...one can't help but wonder what the hell happened. Though far more watchable and entertaining than its reception might suggest, Edison remains highly disposable, forgettable and generic. There's nothing wrong with the movie at face value, but it's pure genre stuff, and clearly a paycheck effort for all involved.In the film, Timberlake plays a naïve and ambitious reporter named Pollack whose research for his latest story leads to the discovery of a major scandal. An elite police force in Edison known as F.R.A.T. appears to be corrupt, and the entire justice system seems to be willingly turning a blind eye to the abuses of this unit. When Pollack's life is threatened (along with the life of his girlfriend), he begins working with his editor, a once-famous reporter, and a private detective to bring down F.R.A.T. and everyone behind it.Long-time small-screen scribe David J. Burke makes his writing and directing debut with Edison; a flick which clearly strived to be a sprawling corruption drama in the vein of Chinatown and L.A. Confidential that additionally tries to deliver an important message about the moral responsibilities of journalists. Before diving into this film's innumerable flaws, it must be said that Burke's directorial work is solid. Backed by a reported $25 million budget, the first-time director has crafted a number of exciting set-pieces, and the cinematography is frequently energetic. The score, too, is effective. But the problem is that this movie is a parade of clichés which only clicks on a very basic level. With a loose-cannon antagonist, the hard- ass cop with a good heart who strives to fight against corruption, and Freeman portraying the wise old Pulitzer-winner unsubtly named Moses, the whole enterprise is very familiar, meaning there's not a great deal of suspense. The plotting sorely lacks credibility as well - some of the characters are so inept at covering their tracks that a reporter from a small magazine could pin them to the mat.In terms of action and suspense, Edison flaunts a few decent scenes here and there, but the film as a whole fails to gel. This is mainly due to Justin Timberlake, whose acting one can't help but snicker at. The inexperienced actor is saddled with the enormous responsibility of carrying the film's dramatic weight, and the movie was almost certainly designed as a stepping stone for Timberlake up to star status, but the singer is not compelling or believable enough. Also, he's consistently outshone by his co-stars, most notably Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman, who, while phoning in their performances, are still Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman! Timberlake may get better as an actor with time, but he's completely wrong for this role. Added to this, Edison is plagued with too many utterly inane moments, including a scene where Pollack escapes the bad guys on a bicycle and a sequence in which Morgan Freeman dances in his dressing gown.At first, Edison is bursting with promise. Despite some underwhelming acting, the conspiracy plot is engaging and the film does a fine job of making us curious. From there, Burke decides to wrap everything up like a cheapjack action flick, and thus the quiet conspiracy thriller approach is suddenly replaced by shoot-'em-up action set-pieces, car chases, explosions and even a flamethrower. The director might find it cool when people are killed in violent ways, but he fails to understand that this is not the outlet for such a thing. Once the characters shut up and the bullets begin to fly, we see past the glossy sheen of this all-star ensemble and realise Edison is nothing more than a direct-to- DVD actioner inhabited by a few A-listers. Timberlake fans or fans of hardcore action flicks may find this an enjoyable evening of movie- watching. For those seeking something more substantive...move along, there's nothing to see here.

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Angelus2
2005/08/05

Edison City is home to .F.R.A.T.; a elite group of officers who bring down the drug dealers of Edison; only the power they have been given turns them all into corrupt officers. Except for LL Cool J.Cool meets JT during a court case and soon JT is convinced about .F.R.A.T. corruption and uncovers a city wide conspiracy with terrifying consequences.LL Cool J plays the role of the man battling his conscience and gives a good performance while Justin does a good job as a young reporter.Kevin Spacey is always a bonus when he plays any type of role, while Morgan Freeman does a good job as the reporters boss.The film picks up towards the end; but watching this film I kept thinking, this would be great as a TV show.A good film with a promising cast.The reason I gave it a seven because a lot of people will dismiss this film because of the two leads, Justin Timberlake and LL Cool J; singer and rapper turned actors, both both do hold their own against screen veterans.

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