The Naked Edge (1961)

Good movie but grossly overrated

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

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

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This movie might have been called The Cutting Edge for all the boundaries of 1961 it pushed! It utilizes innovative camera and editing techniques that echo Alfred Hitchcock's scary scenes from Psycho, alludes to sex in a way few films had been able to do since the fall of the Hays Code, and put the word "naked" in the title! Even the first shot of the film is unusual, making you wonder, "Why did they show that? What am I missing?" for the first of many times as the mystery continues throughout the film. A bead of sweat is shown running down Gary Cooper's face. He's in court, ready to testify as a key witness to a murder. His accounting condemns a man to life imprisonment, and the guilt rattles him after the trial. Years later, he's a successful businessman, and he and his wife Deborah Kerr are living a life of luxury. He receives a threatening letter, making Deborah doubt his testimony all those years ago. . .The Naked Edge is one scary movie! I'm not his biggest fan, but Gary Cooper gives a more energetic performance than he usually does. Although Deborah's character isn't written to be the smartest tool in the shed, she does a good job exuding her fear and doubt without turning it into a melodrama. Usually, Gary plays likable, earnest roles. This is the only movie I've seen where Gary Cooper plays a bad guy! This one's pretty scary and very suspenseful, so rent it on Halloween and cuddle up to your honey—or don't. . .DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, there's one part of the movie that might that will make you sick. There's a scene where Deborah Kerr gets lost and when she runs up and down the streets, the camera is hand-held. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

What is most remarkable about this movie, is that if one did not know it was not so, one would believe it was a Hitchcock movie. It is even more hitchcocky, than the real ones! The plot was interesting and intelligent, and I am glad Gary Cooper turned out to be the good guy after all! He looked very old, haggard and ill, though. It was heart-wrenching to see him like that, as he used to be so handsome, strong and vital. I wonder why it was necessary for him to make another movie at this stage of his terminal illness? Deborah Kerr was beautiful, ladylike and stylish and with that kind, innocent quality, as always.I like movies about moral questions, that make me think "what would I have done?". The truth is, that when I was younger, I would probably have reacted like Martha. I would have felt, that I had to know. But today? Today I would probably have turned a blind eye, kept quiet, not risked the good life I had finally achieved (or rather: that my husband had achieved for me), and the life with the man I loved. This is not because I have turned more callous, because I do not believe that I have. But because I have realized that I do not anymore have so many good years left, and that if I lost everything now it would be too late to achieve it new. So I would hold on to what I had. And I would tell myself that no matter what it was not MY guilt - I had not committed any crime, and I had not encouraged any either.

I recently watched this film on video and found myself fast-forwarding through it. It moved very slowly and was difficult to follow and there was way too much talking. All I knew was that Gary Cooper's (his last film) character was witness to a murder while working late in his office one night and that his wife (Deborah Kerr in a really bad performance) suspected that he did it. I believe that there was just no comparing this film to "Psycho" that it didn't even make "Psycho"'s shock grade, except maybe for the murder scene at the very beginning. I don't know if Gary Cooper was ill at the time of the shooting but his performance is very wooden and lifeless. Deborah Kerr was also very disappointing. I've seen the both of them do a much better job. Pass on this one.

The suspense of this film evokes the work of Alfred Hitchcock. It doesn't quite live up to such a comparison but nonetheless the plot and character interactions should rivet most viewers to the film. Creative shot selection (especially the preparation of the wife's death), fine performances (especially from Deborah Kerr), and a compelling plot create an entertaining movie experience, 7/10. I think this was Gary Cooper's last screen performance.