Jagged Edge (1985)
This is a film I didn’t know much about until I saw it last wk. It’s not TOO gory or scary, but the opening scene might be hard to take for some viewers. There is some trial testimony that MAY make you cringe, too. The acting of the main players is quite strong. There are twists and turns in this thriller, but I’m sure viewers will figure out some of them.
Glenn Close looks VERY pretty in this movie, and plays Teddy Barnes, a lawyer/divorcee/mother of 2 young kids. I thought she did well in the courtroom scenes, but I REALLY liked her vulnerable and motherly sides here (she doesn’t often get to show that in her roles). She interacts VERY well w/ the kids and w/ Robert Loggia (who plays a mussed-up/ cynical/elderly former cop). Teddy and the cop went through a tough criminal case before, and were VERY affected by it.
The handsome/charming/newspaper editor Teddy defends is Jack Forrester (Jeff Bridges). His wife Paige, whose family ran a San Francisco paper, was brutally assaulted and murdered in their beach house. It turns out that the money was ALL in Paige’s name, so Jack would’ve lost it all if there was a divorce (job, status, etc.) Though Teddy doesn’ want the hassle, her boss convinces her to take on the high-profile case.
From their first meeting, we see that Teddy and Jack have GREAT chemistry (as do the actors). And he keeps insisting he’s innocent. (It’s tough NOT to like Jeff Bridges, right? He’s a VERY natural actor.) There is a memorable romantic sequence where Jack takes Teddy horseback riding on his ranch. Though she tries to keep things professional, the lawyer gets involved w/ her client!
No Way Out (1987)
This is another popular ’80s thriller, but set in the world of politics in DC. This film made Kevin Costner (who plays career navy man Lt. Cmdr. Tom Farrell) a major player in Hollywood. (I’m NOT a fan of Costner, but he fits his role VERY well here.) Gene Hackman plays Farrell’s boss in the Pentagon, Defense Sect. David Brice. After a heroic rescue of a crewmate at sea, Farrell is brought in (by old college pal) to work for Sect. Brice. That pal, Scott Pritchard (Will Patton), is an enigmatic and ambitious man who serves as Brice’s “right hand.” Will Patton NEARLY steals almost every scene he’s in!
Did you know?
Kevin Costner turned down the role of Jack Forrester in Jagged Edge.
Costner played the dead body in the opening of The Big Chill (1983). Director Lawrence Kasdan, who liked Costner’s work, shot some scenes involving his character (the friend who commited suicide), but edited them out later to fit the mood of the film.
Knightleyemma 