Jagged Edge (1985)
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82% of critics liked it
(28 reviews) -
55% of users liked it
(5,247 ratings)
In this hit thriller, a prosecuting attorney-turned-defense lawyer falls in love with a rich, charming client who's been accused of murdering his wife and her maid with a hunting knife. When an unknown assailant gruesomely slays San Francisco newspaper heiress Paige Forrester (Maria Mayenzet),… More In this hit thriller, a prosecuting attorney-turned-defense lawyer falls in love with a rich, charming client who's been accused of murdering his wife and her maid with a hunting knife. When an unknown assailant gruesomely slays San Francisco newspaper heiress Paige Forrester (Maria Mayenzet), her husband and business partner, Jack Forrester (Jeff Bridges), turns to corporate attorney Teddy Barnes (Glenn Close) for counsel. Teddy, who quit her job with the district attorney's office four years earlier over an ethical dilemma, has reservations about returning to criminal work; nevertheless, she accepts the assignment, convinced of Jack's innocence and eager to face off in court against her old boss, DA Thomas Krasny (Peter Coyote), who's about run for attorney general. With the help of investigator Sam Ransom (Robert Loggia), the recently divorced Teddy builds a strong defense for her client, though the work -- and her incipient romance with Jack -- cause strain in her relationship with her children. When Jack's innocence and his romantic intentions come into question, Teddy feels her life slipping back into a moral quagmire until a series of courtroom denouements set the stage for even bigger surprises. Big-name screenwriter Joe Eszterhas' follow-up to Flashdance, Jagged Edge was directed by Richard Marquand, who had previously lensed Return of the Jedi. Parts of Jagged Edge were shot on-location in San Francisco, whose City Hall provides the film's courtroom exteriors. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Directed By
- Richard Marquand
- Written By
- Joe Eszterhas
- Genres
- Mystery & Suspense, Drama
R,
- In Theaters
- Oct 4, 1985 Wide
- On DVD
- May 2, 2000
- Studio
- Columbia Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
The biggest fault of Jagged Edge is that whatever suspense it manages to generate in its climactic scenes is achieved artificially, through tricky editing and manipulative ''danger'' music.
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Variety Staff, Variety
A well-crafted, hardboiled mystery.
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
The wholesome cast completely obliterates the unstated perversities that have been this genre's reason for being.
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, Time Out
These days it is almost unheard of for a movie to keep you guessing until the last frame, but this one does, partly because Marquand plays it so beautifully straight.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
The screenplay, by Joe Eszterhas, does what it can to throw up a smokescreen, but the audience will probably be well ahead of the story's final resolution.
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Cast
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Jeff Bridges
as Jack Forrester
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Glenn Close
as Teddy Barnes
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Peter Coyote
as Thomas Krasny
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Robert Loggia
as Sam Ransom
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Leigh Taylor-Young
as Virginia Howell
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John Dehner
as Judge Carrigan
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Marshall Colt
as Bobby Slade
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Diane Erickson
as Eileen Avery
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Louis Giambalvo
as Fabrizi
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William Allen Young
as Greg Arnold
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Brandon Call
as David Barnes
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Phyllis Applegate
as Mrs. Stiles
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Karen Austin
as Julie Jensen
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Guy Boyd
as Matthew Barnes
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Walter Brooke
as Duane Bendix
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Sarah Cunningham
as Judge
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Michael Dorn
as Dan Hislan
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Woody Eney
as Austin Lofton
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Bruce French
as Richard Duffin
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John Furlong
as Butler
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Bill Gratton
as Jury Foreman
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Ben Hammer
as Dr. Goldman
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John X. Heart
as Reporter
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Lance Henriksen
as Frank Martin
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Sanford Jensen
as Scott Talbot
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James Karen
as Andrew Hardesty
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Suzanne Lodge
as Reporter
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Richard Marion
as Reporter
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Edwina Moore
as Reporter
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Sue Rihr
as Reporter
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Al Ruscio
as Carl Siegal
- Lynn Stalmaster
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Abigail Van Alyn
as Reporter
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David Wiley
as Court Clerk
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Terry Wills
as Reporter
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Biff Yeager
as Reporter
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John Clark
as Dr. Holloway
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Maria Mayenzet
as Page Forrester
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David Austin
as Policeman
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Jay Crimp
as Mrs. Barnes' Assistant
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Sharon Hanian
as Assistant District Attorney
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Brenda Huggins
as Reporter
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Christina Hutter
as Jenny Barnes
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Sharon Madden
as City Editor
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Richard Partlow
as Policeman
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Joyce Shank
as TV Interviewer
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Judith Siegfried
as Reporter
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Sally Train
as Reporter
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Ann Walker
as Mrs. Barnes' Secretary
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Dean Webber
as Newscaster
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James Winker
as Ted Fitzpatrick
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Karen Wonnell
as Stablehand
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Mike Mitchell
as Bailiff
