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The Edge poster

The Edge

year 1997decade 90sdirector Lee Tamahori

118 minutes

Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

Anthony Hopkins Charles Morse
Alec Baldwin Robert Green
Elle Macpherson Mickey Morse
Bart the Bear The Bear
L.Q. Jones Styles
Mark Kiely Mechanic
Eli Gabay Jet Pilot
Larry Musser Amphibian Pilot
Brian Arnold Reporter
Bob Boyd Reporter
Kelsa Kinsly Reporter
Gordon Tootoosis Jack Hawk
Gary A. Hecker Bear Vocals
Brian Steele Bear, attack sequence

The Edge | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Van Lathanproducer Craig Horlbeckproducer Isaiah Blakely
Explore episodeClose episode

What’s Aged the Best?

Baldwin; Hopkins; wilderness survival; stocked cabins; jealous-rich-husband premise; Macpherson; homemade compass; shame monologue; Norm’s Bart joke; cuckolding

In the discussion (10)
Approx. transcript time · 00:04:51Read transcript
  • Baldwin’s arrogant but appealing backstabber fits his strengths, alongside Glengarry Glen Ross and Malice.
  • Hopkins’s stillness and expressive eyes reveal thought and awareness; the unusual performance is considered perfectly suited to Charles despite his age.
  • Outdoor survival stories retain their appeal by asking whether people can keep themselves alive without society.
  • Finding a stocked remote cabin is satisfying like discovering supplies in a video game; tea and the gun restore civilized habits and the men’s old conflict.
  • The jealous older rich man with a younger wife remains an effective setup.
  • Macpherson’s nightgown appearance and charisma are admired, recalling her Sports Illustrated celebrity.
  • The homemade compass is enjoyable movie ingenuity even though it fails.
  • The warning that stranded people die of shame is considered profound advice to stop dwelling on mistakes and solve the problem; it was memorable enough to appear in a book.
  • Norm Macdonald’s joke that Bart was paid in meat, bear prostitutes and cocaine is remembered fondly.
  • Cuckolding and male dominance remain culturally relevant; the Black-character death trope is also acknowledged as persistently recognizable.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Heroic billionaire; post-injury Baldwin; photographer casting; Native-man objectification; distant rescue reception; Black-character death

In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:26Read transcript
  • The heroic billionaire reflects an earlier aspirational view of wealth; a contemporary audience might instead root for the bear against a Bezos-like figure.
  • Baldwin’s rambling, oddly mild delivery after the deadfall injury is criticized as a strange performance choice.
  • Baldwin seems too gruff to be a fashion photographer; chief of staff is suggested instead, although his bullying could fit the profession.
  • Bob’s objectification of the Native man and disbelief that the cabin owner took the photograph are criticized as revealing his arrogance.
  • Baldwin’s delivery after falling into the pit resembles the comically injured Will Ferrell character in Austin Powers.
  • The silent, distant reception after Charles’s rescue feels strange; no one even approaches to shake his hand.
  • Killing the Black character is dated; bird strikes have become more familiar, while a drowned modern phone would not necessarily solve the survival problem.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Killing the bear

In the discussion (11)
Approx. transcript time · 00:37:36Read transcript
  • The opening cabin dynamics are appreciated for the rabbit-and-panther story, food warning and Charles’s observations of the affair.
  • The surprise birthday scene builds suspense through the slightly open door and exposed ham.
  • The terrifying bird-strike crash is a compelling wilderness-disaster sequence; the vehicle is corrected from helicopter to small plane.
  • The first bear encounter delivers an effective surprise as Charles gets into danger near the log crossing.
  • Stephen’s death is read as the predictable fate of the Black character among three survivors; his self-inflicted spear injury occurs offscreen.
  • The bear-killing plan is admired for using its own weight to drive it onto the spear after luring a charge.
  • Charles discovering the affair through the watch in the cabin is named a favorite and then more precisely the best dramatic scene.
  • Baldwin’s drinking, armed monologue simultaneously insults Charles and psychs himself up to kill him, earning particular praise.
  • The rescue is satisfying when the helicopter circles back after uncertainty about whether it saw them.
  • Killing the bear receives the most-rewatchable choice and agreement that Bart’s action is most rewatchable; the cabin remains the best dramatic scene.
  • The argument over unburied bloody material is praised for its background staging; Bob’s behavior is considered monumentally stupid, with intentional sabotage left uncertain.

Apex Mountain

Bear movies; Omega Seamaster Chronograph 2296

In the discussion (8)
Approx. transcript time · 00:41:14Read transcript
  • Perrineau’s stretch around The Edge, Oz and The Best Man is considered his peak.
  • Bear movies receive both affirmative choices, with The Edge called the best mainstream example.
  • Hopkins is rejected for Apex here.
  • Baldwin is rejected for Apex here.
  • Macpherson’s earlier swimsuit-issue years are preferred.
  • Perrineau’s initial yes is revised through The Best Man and Oz to Lost, whose large audience supports the final preference.
  • The name The Edge is rejected in favor of the U2 guitarist.
  • The Omega Seamaster Chronograph 2296 receives an affirmative Apex choice.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Opening helicopter panorama; mountain vista

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:04:01Read transcript
  • The opening helicopter panorama establishes the scale of the setting, reminiscent of Cliffhanger.
  • The mountain shot where the men turn around to see the landscape is another choice.

Is There a Better Title for This Movie?

Deadfall

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:10Read transcript
  • Bookworm was the original title, rejected by the studio.
  • The brainstorming list includes Ambushed, The Ambush, Wild, Wilder, The Wild, Into the Wild, Wilderness Now, Dead Hunt, Deadfall, Precipice, On the Precipice, Over the Precipice, The Edge, Edge, On the Edge, The Bear Killer, The Bear Roared, The Bear and the Brain, Roared and Bloody Betrayal; the opening list wording is slightly unclear.
  • Deadfall is the agreed viable alternative; The Bear and the Brain is rejected, On the Edge is too generic, and Into the Wild later became a strong wilderness-film title.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

L.Q. Jones; Gil Meyers actor; Kathleen; younger-viewer Perrineau

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:16:43Read transcript
  • Perrineau might be a that-guy choice for younger viewers who know Lost; the plane-admiring mechanic is identified through Gil Meyers from 90210.
  • L.Q. Jones is a legendary that guy, recognizable from Westerns despite a different beard here.
  • Kathleen is another that-guy choice, linked to Road House, Private School, Bad Influence and Yellowstone without a spoken surname.

Sequel, Prequel, Limited Series, or All-Black Remake

Queen Latifah, Tessa Thompson and Idris Elba; white third survivor

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:17Read transcript
  • An all-Black remake initially proposes Denzel as a billionaire modeled on Bob Johnson or Byron Allen, then questions whether he would accept a cuckold role.
  • The preferred reworking casts Queen Latifah as an Oprah-like billionaire, Tessa Thompson as her wife and Idris Elba as the photographer; Zoë Kravitz is an alternative wife.
  • The doomed third survivor becomes a white man, with French Stewart or John Stamos proposed to reverse the original trope.

Is This Movie Better With…?

Sam Jackson as Stephen

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:17Read transcript
  • Sam Jackson as Stephen would be hilarious, pairing a bear attack with his shark attack in Deep Blue Sea.

The Coach Finstock Award for Best Life Lesson

Keep the younger wife away from the handsome fashion photographer

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:03Read transcript
  • Do not let a much younger wife spend time with the handsome, aggressive fashion photographer whose behavior signals an affair.

Who Won the Movie?

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:36:30Read transcript
  • Bart the Bear receives the emphatic winner choice despite only four and a half minutes of screen time; another participant tentatively agrees.
  • Asked to choose between the human leads, Baldwin is praised for slightly better acting and consistent characterization, but Hopkins is the human-only winner.
Podcast choices
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Bart the Bear