Jagged Edge (1985)

Thanks for the memories!

A Masterpiece!

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Jagged Edge is a glossy 1980's courtroom thriller about a man accused of murdering his wife. The lawyer he hires falls in love with him as she tries to clear him of murder. It is a simple plot and much of the enjoyment comes from trying to guess whether the husband is guilty or not. Both the leads Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close put in good performances especially Bridges who is all charm without ever seeming too innocent. Peter Coyote adds excellent support as the prosecuting lawyer. There are a few negatives, the courtroom scenes all seem a bit clichéd, clumsy and predictable and at times in the middle the film does lose momentum however the last half an hour is engrossing and pulls it back.I found Jagged Edge to be an entertaining thriller with a good pay off. Well worth watching.

A man discover's his wife and maid have been murdered, an investigation ensuses and sooner rather than later he is deemed the main suspect and Is hauled in for the crime. he enlists the help of a pretty young lawyer who he eventually falls for,, the two get close,, and she let's her emotions run wild, and cleary she falls for him while defending him against the charges that he brutally murdered his wife,, apparently though his wife was cheating at the time,, and her boyfriend turns up dead later, on, but there is more to this than we think as the lawyer's assistant's dig up more information on her and the boyfriend,, classic edge of you're seat thriller , that will keep you guessing until the end.

Jack Forrester (Jeff Bridges) is accused of the brutal murder of his wife. He hires Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) to defend him. Barnes used to work for the district attorney, but quit after having regretfully participated in a prosecution where the DA withheld evidence.In the first scene we are treated to a front row seat to witness the murder. All right, I realize that it's important for the initial scenes to capture your attention, but I don't need to be hit over the head with a two-by-four. The music is so over the top, and the murder so disgusting, that I quickly realized that subtlety was not to be a hallmark of this movie.The story ultimately devolves into a sub-par courtroom drama. The usual quota of surprises are supplied, like Jack's not revealing a crucial event that, being as smart as he was portrayed to be, he had to know would come up. Events are tossed in to purposely mislead and they are so obvious that you know that they are there to mislead.Bridges and Close go through their paces in performances that are lackluster. At least Close is called on to look indignant or frightened on occasion, but Bridges is hardly called on to do anything but deliver his lines. Peter Coyote, as the DA, does seem to be trying and Robert Loggia, as a private investigator, adds some spark. I have nothing against profanity in movies, but Loggia's using the F-word at every opportunity seemed completely gratuitous.This would hardly qualify as a decent episode of "Law and Order."

"Jagged Edge" is a well written and extremely entertaining psychological thriller which unsurprisingly was also a major box office success. Essentially, it's a murder mystery which features some interesting characters, numerous unexpected developments and some great performances from an exceptionally talented group of actors. Director Richard Marquand is very effective in creating many moments of tension especially during the courtroom scenes and the whole drama keeps the audience in suspense and in a state of uncertainty about the defendant's innocence or guilt throughout the whole movie.After wealthy socialite Page Forrester (Maria Mayenzet) and her maid are savagely murdered and Jack Forrester's (Jeff Bridges) injuries require hospital treatment, D.A. Thomas Krasny (Peter Coyote) visits the crime scene and rapidly decides that Jack (who is the sole beneficiary of Page's considerable estate) must be the murderer. Jack is the very successful editor of a top newspaper which was owned and controlled by Page.Jack is subsequently arrested and charged with murder and seeks help for his defence from the firm of corporate attorneys with whom he has a longstanding relationship. One of their number is Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) who is an ex-criminal lawyer who had a great track record but gave up that field of her profession because she became very uncomfortable about the unethical conduct of her colleague in the D.A.'s office (the aforementioned Thomas Krasny). She agrees to take on Jack's defence but only after a great deal of persuasion from both Jack and senior members of her firm who offer a partnership as an added inducement.Teddy's decision then leads her into a surprising series of events which begin with her becoming Jack's lover and continue with her having to deal with a number of incidents which prove to be very challenging both professionally and emotionally before she finally gets an opportunity to publicly expose Krasny's grossly unprofessional conduct after the case reaches its conclusion.Teddy experiences a considerable amount of conflict which starts when Jack and her firm want her to take on the case against her wishes and continues as her commitment to the case and her relationship with Jack cause conflict to develop within her own family. Her conflict with Krasny during the case is also profound because of matters that arise in the case but also because she's regarded him with utter contempt for such a long time.Teddy and Jack are also both full of contradictions. She gave up criminal law because she was appalled by Krasny's unethical practices and yet she gets embroiled in a relationship with her client which is extremely unethical and unprofessional. She also experiences contradictory feelings about Jack's possible innocence or guilt and Jack continuously gives out contradictory impressions about himself by his various expressions and actions. The whole issue of contradictions also becomes a strong feature of the clues, the evidence and the story developments which continue to be seen as the action proceeds.Thomas Krasny is politically ambitious and in the past had withheld evidence which would have proved the innocence of a man who later committed suicide in prison.The characters in "Jagged Edge" are often idiosyncratic but never dull and the performances by Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Peter Coyote and Robert Loggia (in a wonderful supporting role) are very impressive throughout.