The Edge, by David Mamet

The Edge, by David Mamet

Before The Revenant, called in jest The Bear Rape Movie, there was The Edge, where Anthony Hopkins aka Charles Morse, Alec Baldwin aka Robert Green and Stephen try to escape the Grizzly –played by Bart the Bear-, which wants to abuse and eventually eat these lost men.

The legendary David Mamet wrote the script and, if worthwhile, this is not on a level with Glengarry Glen Ross, where the same extraordinary Alec Baldwin has a tremendous performance as the specialist sent from downtown, whose watch is more expensive that Ed Harris’ car…

ABC – Always Be Closing

The rich man in The Edge is not Baldwin aka Robert – who is a photographer- but the rather rigid Anthony Hopkins as Charles Morse, a billionaire married to the outstanding, phenomenal Mickey Morse- played by the supermodel Elle Macpherson, only decent as an actress, if out of this world as a model.

Charles, Robert Stephen and the pilot of a small plane fly to find a hunter that the photographer wants to immortalize; in a breathtaking landscape-, the whole film is set amid outlandish scenery-

Mountains covered in snow, a beautiful lake, pristine forest and a tremendous background through the film.

The setting reminds one again of the Bear Rape Movie, for it has the same glorious wild, stunning landscape

As they fly over a lake, a flock of birds hits the small aircraft and this crashes into the icy waters.

It is unbelievable from this early stage that there are survivors from this crash and they live for more than a few minutes, given that one dies within such a short time after being immersed in cold water.

Furthermore, we have the intrepid, valiant and astute billionaire – who is way past the Age of Innocence, let us say past forty- saving Stephen from the depths of the lake, while the much younger Robert just caring for himself.

This is when Bill Maher might come to mind, a brilliant, wondrous comedian, who joked that any film with Anthony Hopkins as the villain makes no sense, for he would never be sacred by a bad person who has to be careful when climbing the stairs- unable to ever take two at the same time.

Charles the Billionaire is a very resourceful man, he knows what a paddle has painted on the invisible side, is familiar with the myths and stories of the Native Americans and there is very little- perhaps nothing? - That this genius does not know very well.

There is even a joke about his all-encompassing knowledge:

In the forest, after surviving the plane crash, a few attacks from the Bear, one of which results in the death of Stephen, they have to eat…

When there is meat, Robert wishes there was some…salt

You know, says Charles, you could use gunpowder as condiment…

However, we do not have gunpowder.

When making fire becomes a huge problem, considering the fact that they are almost always wet, from the crash, then the bear attacks, they need to eat and most important, this is a way to keep the enemy at a distance, the inventive billionaire asks:

Do you know how to make fire out of ice?

No, I do not Charles

You take ice, place it towards the sun and then it acts as a lens and you make fire…

Wow, what a Beautiful Mind

Nevertheless, the film does not offer Alec Baldwin the chance to shine as in the role of Trump on Saturday Night Live, where he is otherworldly and hilarious, nor Anthony Hopkins the material of Silence of the Lams or The Remains of the Day.