Tag: Jeff Bridges

Re-Watch: “Jagged Edge” (1985) starring Jeff Bridges, Glenn Close, Peter Coyote, & Robert Loggia

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When a murder case is this shocking, which do you trust… your emotions or the evidence? -Tagline

Jack: You still think I’m guilty? How can you defend me if you think I’m guilty?

Teddy: It happens all the time. It’s the way our legal system works.

San Fran publishing heiress, Page Forrester, is brutally murdered in her luxurious beach house. Her husband, Jack (Jeff Bridges), seems devastated by the crime; he is soon accused of her murder. He hires Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) to defend him, despite the fact she hasn’t handled a criminal defense case in several years. There’s chemistry between them; the lawyer soon finds herself falling hard for her client.

The movie is about layers and layers and layers of truth. It’s like peeling an onion down to the core. Here we have a very intelligent, very attractive, very warm, very modern mother/career woman who has made a definite commitment to a moral standard, and makes one more moral stand when she says that she will only defend the man who is accused of a terrible crime, if she is convinced of his innocence. The rollercoaster begins. Is he innocent? Is he guilty? Is he lying? Or is he not? It’s a classic high-tension psychological thriller. -Richard Marquand, director (when asked re: the movie during promo)

This movie is the 1st of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas’ San Fran thriller trilogy; the later films are Basic Instinct (1992) and Jade (1995). Eszterhas originally titled the screenplay Hearts of Fire. Columbia disliked the title and decided it had to be changed; they assigned a secretary to go through the script. She came upon “jagged edge” (in description of the murder weapon: “a knife with a jagged edge”). Kevin Costner turned down the role of Jack (thank goodness)! Jane Fonda was originally attached to play Teddy. When she demanded that changes be made to the script, the studio sided w/ Eszterhas and replaced her w/ Close. Fonda and Bridges co-starred in another thriller- The Morning After (1986)- directed by Sydney Lumet.

Who did it? Tom Krasny, the district attorney with political aspirations, is quick to make a case against Forrester. But there is reason to believe that Krasny is as eager to ride this case into a senate seat as he is to convict the right man. Teddy is sharp. She launches her own investigation with the help of a crusty gumshoe named Sam Ransom. She finds what she is looking for: the holes in Krasny’s case and the fact that Forrester is not the only suspect. But she also finds something she wasn’t looking for: emotional and romantic involvement with her client. -Martin Ransohoff, producer

Martin Ransohoff (who went on to produce the movie) took the story idea to Columbia president (Guy McElwaine) in 1983; McElwaine was interested in a courtroom piece (an intense story that’d raise some pressing Qs about the legal system). According to Eszterhas’ book Hollywood Animal, Ransohoff was against the casting of Glenn Close (saying she was “too ugly” for the part). Close heard about this; she said she didn’t want Ransohoff on set during her scenes. The director (Richard Marquand- best known for Star Wars: Episode VI – The Return of the Jedi) supported Close and sent Ransohoff away. The producer was so mad that he went to studio heads trying to get them both fired! The studio later denied this happened (of course). Teddy has 2 young kids (David and Jenny); in their bedroom is a poster of The Return of the Jedi.

This tension between Krasny and Forrester is intense. There is history between them. The courtroom begins to take on the feeling of the O.K. Corral. -Jeff Bridges, actor

This is one of the earliest movies of the erotic thriller genre (and it’s quite effective). Now, there are some problematic elements (esp. when viewed through modern eyes). The acting is quite strong; Robert Loggia received a Best Supporting Oscar nom! Loggia plays Sam Ransom (former investigator in the DA’s office/Teddy’s trusted friend) who curses, drinks (a LOT), and looks rumpled. Teddy and Sam still regret what occurred on one of their past cases. At first, you may wonder if the DA (Teddy’s former boss), Thomas Krasny (Peter Coyote), will be the lead; he’s the focus of the opening 10 mins. To lend to the authenticity, the exteriors of the courtroom were San Fran’s City Hall.

Teddy: Sam! He didn’t do it!

Sam: Yeah? Is that your head talking, or another part of your anatomy? [Teddy gives him a sour look]

Sam: Hey, ok, what the hell, f**k me! [runs for the door]

Today’s viewers may NOT 100% buy into Teddy getting into a relationship w/ Jack; this is crucial for the plot. Teddy is recently divorced; her (nice/bland) ex-hubby doesn’t get much screen time (though the kids want their parents together). She desperately wants to believe that this client is innocent, BUT there are doubts. Here we have the (common) trope of the professional woman who makes a mess of her personal life. She leads w/ her heart, NOT her head. It doesn’t seem like Jack would be ready for romance after the recent tragedy. Jack works his charm on Teddy (w/o her suspecting); he takes her horseback riding, they walk on the beach, and have wine w/ takeout. Jeans, cozy sweaters, business suits- y’all know Bridges looks FAB in all the outfits. Close and Bridges are V well-matched; they create good chemistry together. In the tense/revelatory courtroom scenes, they convey much w/o dialogue.

[1] Bridges and Close show why they’re among the greatest stars of their generation. I can pretty much guarantee that you won’t find this movie boring. 

[2] This courtroom thriller was one of the films that spawned a huge wave of copycats through the mid ’80’s and early ’90’s. […]

…the film works very well on a visceral level, providing twists and shocks along the way (including one startling break-in near the end which is jarring no matter how many times it is seen.) The film’s greatest strength is the acting, notably Close. […] She brings great conviction to her poorly conceived role. Bridges does well also as the perfectly moussed, tan dreamboat who might be a savage murderer. Loggia brings a welcome salty edge to the film with his foul-mouthed portrayal of Close’s investigator friend.

The discordant music by Barry is very unsettling and his use of low piano keys doubtlessly inspired Jerry Goldsmith for “Basic Instinct.” It’s the same type of sound. Folks expecting a watertight story will be disappointed. Those who just want to be entertained and spooked should love it.

[3] 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. 

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

“The Fabulous Baker Boys” (1989) starring Jeff Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, & Beau Bridges

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For 31 years it’s been just the Fabulous Baker Boys… but times change. -Tagline for the movie

This movie (free on YT in HD quality) focuses on a Seattle piano lounge act performing jazz versions of famous pop songs. The older brother, Frank (Beau Bridges), is married w/ 2 kids and the business manager, front man, and programmer of the playlist. The younger brother, Jack (Jeff Bridges), is carefree w/o commitments; he has one-night stands (mainly w/ cocktail waitresses). Jack has an old black Lab dog (Eddie) and a pre-teen upstairs neighbor (Nina) who lives w/ her single mom (busy dating various men). The Baker Boys’ act is becoming stale; they’re losing the ability to hold onto what gigs they had. Dave Grusin recorded the songs for the soundtrack, BUT Beau and Jeff both learned to play all the songs. To make their playing look realistic, they watched videos of Grusin’s hands playing the music.

Frank comes up w/ the idea of hiring a female singer. After 37 bad auditions, they finally hire Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer- who sings all her songs); she is rough around the edges and a former escort. Despite Susie having no formal singing experience, she has good enough vocals and can sell a song. She turns off her tough girl attitude when performing; she becomes vulnerable. Soon, they begin getting better gigs and earning more money. Frank thinks the biggest threat is the sexual tension (real or imagined) btwn Jack and Susie. However, the main threat is how Susie is able to expose the (existing) rifts btwn the brothers; Frank’s goal is to provide for his family, while Jack wants to pursue his own musical dreams.

They just don’t make films like this anymore (for the big screen)! It’s a 3-person character drama, NOT unlike what you’d see onstage. The writer (also 1st time director), Steve Kloves, had shown the script to (IRL friend) Pfeiffer 3 yrs. before it was made. Kloves mainly worked as a screenwriter afterwards; he did a fine job here. The film was released in SEPT 1989 in only 800 theaters; it sold out in NYC, Chicago and LA (thanks to word of mouth). There was NOT much money spent by the studio (Fox) on advertising.

I love them- both the Bridges brothers! -Michelle Pfeiffer on Inside the Actors Studio

Some critics (of ALL genders) commented: “This is Jeff Bridges looking his hottest.” Most of the time, Jack (an anti-hero) is wearing a black tux open at the collar. Susie has a variety of dresses, ranging from trashy to elegant. They BOTH have great hair, too! The audience is anxious for them to get together, BUT they need time (as they are guarded emotionally). The Fabulous Baker Boys is a must-see film w/ intelligent dialogue, great acting, and sparkling chemistry. There is a sense of authenticity; the settings are NOT always glam and the characters are multi-layered.

“TRON” (1982) starring Jeff Bridges, Bruce Boxleitner, David Warner, & Cindy Morgan

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Hacker/arcade owner Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) is digitally broken down into a data stream by a villainous software pirate, Master Control, and reconstituted into the internal, 3-D graphical world of computers. In this colorful/geometric landscape of cyberspace, Flynn joins forces w/ Tron, who looks just like his pal Alan (Bruce Boxleitner- perhaps best known for the sci-fi TV show Babylon 5), to outmaneuver the Master Control program that holds them captive in the equivalent of a big/dangerous computer game. Though V basic by our (modern) standards, this was an innovative/labor-intensive movie in its day! There is a BTS (behind-the-scenes) documentary re: the movie (free on YouTube: see link below).

Many Disney animators refused to work on this movie because they feared that computers would put them out of business. In fact, 22 years later Disney closed its hand-drawn animation studio in favor of CGI animation. Hand-drawn animation was resumed at Disney after creative director, John Lasseter, also head of Pixar (a computer animation company). TRON was disqualified from receiving an Academy Award nomination for special effects, because the Academy felt at the time that using computer generated effects was “cheating” – wow!

Y’all, I gotta keep it real w/ you; I ONLY watched this for Bridges! He’s adorable w/ a fringe haircut (like the one Kurt Russell had in his day), quirky physicality, and a nerdy personality. ALL the actors (when inside the computer) wore skintight outfits; IRL these were white w/ black markings (where the graphics would be added in later). Bridges had TOO much of a bulge in the crotch area in his costume (hey, this was released by Disney); he had to wear a dance belt to conceal it. To inspire the actors, arcade games were placed on the sets and played during downtime. Bridges found it hard to tear himself away from a game to shoot a scene- LOL! Boxleitner (who lived on a ranch at that time) said he was reluctant to take on this role, BUT ended up having a good time. When asked about his co-star, Boxleitner recalled: “He WAS Kevin Flynn!”

In the 1st act of this movie, we meet 3 young computer programmers- Kevin, Alan, and Lora (Cindy Morgan- I’d never seen her acting before). They’re still close friends, even though Kevin no longer works w/ them at Encom. Kevin and Lora used to be a couple, BUT now she is dating Alan. The main baddie roles are played here by British character actor David Warner; he recently passed away after a long life/prolific career. Warner was a working class kid (from Manchester, England) who came out of the theater world (studied at RADA). Trekkies remembered him fondly on social media; he acted in several notable roles: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (St. John Talbot), Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (Chancellor Gorkon), and Star Trek: TNG (Gul Madred). He was also on an ep on S1 of Babylon 5; I watched that recently. Warner was the cold/gun-toting Lovejoy in the hit movie, Titanic (2002), who chased Jack and Rose.

“Against All Odds” (1984) starring Rachel Ward, Jeff Bridges, & James Woods

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Certainly, we’ve tried to retain certain qualities from the original film [Out of the Past], mainly the electric, dangerous interaction of the three main characters. However, the story itself, the background of the characters and the setting are very different. I think we’ve come up with a film that deals with the unique nature of power in Los Angeles and how that power consumes and almost destroys the three main characters. Years from now, I can see theaters playing this version and the original on the same bill and the audience seeing two very different films. -Taylor Hackford, director

Reluctantly, broke/injured football player- Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges, at age 34)- accepts the job to track down Jessie Wyler (British actress Rachel Ward), the ex-gf of old friend/nightclub owner, Jake Wise (James Woods- always a believable villain). On the beaches of Cozumel, Terry NOT only finds the elusive woman, BUT unexpectedly falls in love w/ her. Soon, Terry finds himself trapped in a web of passion and intrigue, as Jessie starts to feel the burden of choice in this dangerous love triangle. Can they have a future together?

I saw this movie last week after learning it was a remake of one of my fave noir films- Out of the Past (1947) starring Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, and Jane Greer (who plays Jessie’s controlling mom/wealthy land developer, Mrs. Wyler). You can read my review here. It was V cool to see veteran actor Richard Widmark (looking fit at age 70); he plays Ben Caxton (Mrs. Wyler’s top lawyer/old friend). Woods and Bridges both loved working w/ Widmark, and remembered his love of pancakes. He used to have a plate waiting for him while shooting a scene, and Woods and Bridges would often hide it. Widmark refused to go back to shooting before the cakes had been recovered- LOL!

Terry: So what is it you don’t like exactly, football players, tacos, or beer?

Jessie: I like tacos and beer.

Bridges was Hackford’s 1st choice for the lead (played by Richard Gere) in An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), but Bridges had a packed schedule then (appearing in 3 movies). Hackford kept Bridges in mind when creating the character of Terry. Ward got top billing above her male co-stars; she was well-known at that time (after her work on the hit miniseries The Thorn Birds). For Bridges, this was his 1st lead role in a commercial film; he was more of a supporting actor before. The helmets and uniforms used by the football team Terry is playing for were from the (defunct) USFL’s LA Express. As a wide-receiver, his main role was to catch forward passes from the quarterback. He’d have to be fast, as on just about every play, the wide receiver needs to run at full speed.

Well, I consider myself a character actor, and leading man is a character that you play. -Bridges, when asked re: playing a leading man

Terry is cut from the team; he thinks it’s b/c of his recurring shoulder issue (though the team has been doing well). However, his friend/conditioning coach, Hank Sully (Alex Karras- best known as the dad in Webster), says that Terry is too expensive to keep on. Terry goes to see his long-time lawyer, Steve Kirsch (Saul Rubinek), but he refuses to help. Steve’s secretary, Edie (Swoosie Kurtz), has a bit of a crush on Terry. He seeks out Jake, who’s desperate to find his ex and know she’s safe. When Terry was getting started in his pro career, Jake helped him out (watch to see exactly what happened). Though they share a past, there is (underlying) tension between the two men’s interactions. Early in the film, they have a car race which is V tense/potentially dangerous. Jake’s black Ferrari 308 and Terry’s red Porsche were specially modified for high-speed driving w/ special onboard camera mounts. Bridges and Woods commented that many viewers went back to theaters to re-watch this scene.

There are millions of dollars in production values on the screen that one could never create in Hollywood. It’s exciting to think that many moviegoers will be seeing these fantastic locations for the first time. Stylistically, I wanted to contrast these rough, ancient Mexican textures with the cold, modern surfaces of Los Angeles. Often, L.A. has been used in films as a kind of lotus-land… people waking up in the morning, saying, ‘God, I can’t believe those palm trees’. But people from L.A., especially those who wield power, don’t feel or act that way. It’s not that the absurdities are lost on them; they’ve simply made their peace with the city and attend to business. That’s the point of view I’m taking in this film. Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward are both fugitives from the corruptive power and manipulation of Los Angeles. The romantic, other-worldliness of the Yucatan provides a setting for them to find each other… something that would never have been possible in L.A., because of their respective’ emotional baggage and class differences. -Hackford re: the importance of shooting in Mexico

We got along right away! It could’ve been awkward… […] It went smoothly. -Bridges, when asked re: shooting steamy scenes w/ Ward

Bridges looks gorgeous w/ his thick blonde mane, w/ or w/o full beard, and 6-pack abs (yowza)! He gets to wear some cool outfits, for those of you into fashion. There is much more to like about this movie, incl. the romance between Terry and Jessie. The actors have good chemistry together. Ward was newly married to Aussie actor Bryan Brown; they co-starred on The Thorn Birds (playing a married couple). Bridges was awaiting the birth of his 2nd child; he carried a beeper b/c it was tough to call LA from some of the shooting locations.

[1] Parts of “Against All Odds” are absolutely magnificent. The Mexican location photography is terrific. Rachel Ward looks great, as does Jeff Bridges.

[2] Bridges plays his role quite convincingly as a wounded man, a naive guy who put his foot in a place he never should have been in from the beginning. The man has a heavy burden on his shoulder and he succeeds very well in carrying it. […]

Though the story has its share of lopsided scenes, it is still one worthy enough to enjoy. For Jeff Bridges fans, who have overlooked this one, should see him in his prime. He brings his charm and personality here like he’s done in almost 45 years he has graced the silver screen. It will surely please everyone who enjoys romance, suspense and action.

-Excerpts from IMDb reviews

This is a good movie. The plot can be confusing. You may have to see it twice. -Gene Siskel

I agree, it’s good. Bridges is good in everything I’ve seen him in. -Roger Ebert

Hell or High Water (2016) starring Chris Pine, Ben Foster & Jeff Bridges

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NOTE: This is a SPOILER-FREE review.

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Tanner (Ben Foster) and Tobey (Chris Pine) drink beer on their ranch.

This is (most likely) the “dark horse” in the Best Picture category in the Oscars, BUT if you like fine films, you need to check it out! I heard great reviews of it on 2 different podcasts, BUT finally saw it tonight (thanks to Redbox). This film takes you on a journey (not TOO long or short); it has interesting characters (including the bit players); and Jeff Bridges is in it (so what’s NOT to like!?) 

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Deputy Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) and his partner.

Deputy Marcus Hamilton (Bridges- one of my faves) is 3 weeks from retirement when he gets VERY interested in a curious case. Two men have been robbing branches of a particular West Texas bank for moderate sums of cash. These men are our main protagonists- brothers Tanner (Ben Foster) and Tobey (Chris Pine) Howard. Tanner is a loud-mouthed ex-con ONLY out of jail for a year; he enjoys robbing banks.  Tobey is more quiet, and his reluctant partner. Though they are VERY different men, they love and protect each other. 

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Tobey Howard (Chris Pine) has his eyes on the future.

This is labeled as a crime drama and a Western, BUT I feel it defies genre conventions. There is much humor, thanks in part to Bridges and his Native American/Mexican partner, Alberto (Gil Birmingham). There is easy chemistry between Foster (a bundle of energy and volatility) and Pine (somber, scraggly haired, and unglamorous). I NEVER saw what the fuss was about Pine until this film! The music and cinematography (by Giles Nuttgens, who has worked w/ BOTH Deepa Mehta and Mira Nair- two of my fave directors) are VERY well-done; too bad I didn’t see it earlier on the big screen.