Typical Courtroom Drama that Falls Below Expectations, April 11 2004
I won't say Jagged Edge isn't good or entertaining because it is a very good film. The problem starts with loopholes within a terribly predictable plot. By the middle of the film, even the smart defense tactics of Teddy Barnes ( Glenn Close ) can't help the film's demise. There was no question that Jack Forrester ( Jeff Bridges ) committed the murders. The problem is the director can't keep this a secret for very long.There is no difference between this and a million other courtroom dramas. You have the smart, fiesty female lawyer who swears to everyone she won't fall for the charms of the handsome rich defendent but, of course she falls for his charms and into his bed. From that point Teddy Barnes lost all credibility of claiming she's a smart lawyer. The plot doesn't stay true to the characters. Teddy's a smart woman yet she plays the dumb victim at every turn. She misses signs anyone in their first year of law school should spot. Jack is painted as suave and brilliant yet he leaves the typewriter ( the item that brings it all together ) in his closet for Teddy to find. Jagged Edge has a lot of supposedly smart folks doing dumb things and it makes no sense. The film started out as an intelligent thriller but switched to a cheap serial killer flick with a tacky and very stupid ending. On the flipside, this is a very good movie IF you watch it for entertainment only. If you watch it for knowledge or to see a good thriller you are wasting your time. The plot can be figured out by a five year-old in ten minutes and this film is NOTHING unique. Close's and Bridges' chemistry keeps you interested no matter how shabby the film ends up. But the true winners are Robert Loggia and Peter Coyote who steal the show easily with their vibrant, exciting performances. Loggia brought some comedy relief to the drabby scenes and Coyote sparked things up when Close got boring. Jeff Bridges appeared quite dry and I didn't buy him as someone with the brains of masterminding a so-called great plan. Glenn Close played Teddy the way she should have been played. The problem is the character was written with too much heart and not enough brain. That's not too good for a lead character that everyone keeps claiming is such a great lawyer. I would definitely recommend this but beware...disappointments await just around the corner. Since Jagged Edge was made there have been hundreds of films of this nature. I would recommend 1993's Guilty As Sin as one that should be top on your list.
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