Jagged Edge

"When a murder case is this shocking, which do you trust? Your emotions or your evidence?"

1985 1h 48m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 303

Thriller

Synopsis

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After a wealthy heiress is murdered in her beach house, her devastated husband becomes the prime suspect. He hires a lawyer who hasn’t taken a criminal case in years, and as they work together, a complicated romance develops amidst the trial.

“When a murder case is this shocking, which do you trust? Your emotions or your evidence?”

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Cast

Glenn Close
Teddy Barnes
Jeff Bridges
Jack Forrester
Peter Coyote
Thomas Krasny
Lance Henriksen
Frank Martin
Robert Loggia
Sam Ransom
Michael Dorn
Dan Hislan
Maria Mayenzet
Page Forrester
William Allen Young
Greg Arnold

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Marquand
Writers: Joe Eszterhas
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Marquand, shot by Matthew F. Leonetti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Barry. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sean Barton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges and Peter Coyote carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "When a murder case is this shocking, which do you trust? Your emotions or your evidence?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0089360 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Marquand directs. Matthew F. Leonetti behind the camera. John Barry scores. Sean Barton cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

141 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Richard Marquand, shot by Matthew F. Leonetti. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by John Barry. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Sean Barton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges and Peter Coyote carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "When a murder case is this shocking, which do you trust? Your emotions or your evidence?".
7IMDB entry: tt0089360 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 11 themes, including "court", "proof", "client", "sociopath".

The technical file

Cinematography: Matthew F. Leonetti
Original score: John Barry
Editing: Sean Barton
Production design: Gene Callahan
Runtime: 108 min · 1h 48m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $40,491,165
Return: 270% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Jagged Edge (1985)

Also by

Richard Marquand

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-06-07
★ 7/10
Sharp film, serrated ending. Teddy Barnes is a conflicted lawyer, still reeling from the dubious methods of a colleague, she takes on the defence of Jack Forrester, who is accused of murdering his wife with a jagged edged knife. Gradually falling for Jack's seductive powers, Teddy falls in love with the man she now has to defend, her problems it seems, are about to become far far worse. Jagged Edge, directed by Richard Marquand, starring Glenn Close (Teddy), Jeff Bridges (Jack), Robert Loggia (Sam Ransom) and Peter Coyote (Thomas Krasny), is bringing nothing new to the table of a much replicated genre. It does however boast brilliant acting, a tremendous screenplay (Joe Eszterhas) and a production value that demands it be viewed with less than cynical eyes. That it is written by Eszterhas is obvious when looking at the structure of the picture, death, sex, troubled romance, greed and that old devil called obsession (Basic Instinct anyone?), yet aided by a competent director and an exemplary cast, Jagged Edge shines brighter than most other films of its ilk. It looks a little frayed (not jagged) around the edges now, but that is purely because of the advent of time and the ream of thrillers using this format that have followed this piece. If one (such as I) can transport oneself back to the 80s and view Jagged Edge on its original terms, then its easy to recognise just what a well put together picture it is. Close and Bridges are superb, whilst Robert Loggia steals the picture from under their noses, his interplay with Close is a particular highlight. In spite of some less than great twists and unsubtle scapegoat placings, Jagged Edge succeeds because you are there at the finale, and because its held you in its grip all along, you (hopefully) have invested yourself with these characters, you simply just have to know, for better or worse! The ending was cause for much discussion back in the day, and viewing it now it still feels like a moment of cheek mixed in with some form of clarity, but rest assured it works well, as does, funnily enough, the whole film. No world beater here, but highly accomplished and worth the time of any thriller obsessed movie fan. 7/10

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