Stupid courtroom thriller written by the master-hackster, Joe Eszterhaus. I probably should have shut it off as soon as I saw his name on the project. And the fact that it is a courtroom thriller doesn't help, as that's a genre I don't usually abide. It was directed by the guy who did Return of the Jedi. Jeff Bridges stars as a man suspected of murdering his wife. He hires Glenn Close to defend him in court. Both give what are among their worst performances. Less terrible are Peter Coyote as the prosecuting attorney (and apparently lead investigator? It's all very confusing) and Robert Loggia as Close's favorite private investigator. Loggia received an Oscar nomination for his work. He's the best part of the film, but he's barely in it. One wonders why we didn't follow Loggia on more of his investigations. Usually, he just shows up at Close's house or in the middle of court to tell her what he's found. The courtroom stuff is some of the worst ever done in a film. Eszterhaus has no idea how court works. I'm not an expert, either, but I know enough to say that everything that happens in this movie is utter crap. Honestly, the case against Bridges is so flimsy that it would never have come to court in the first place. There's a big twist by the film's end which is pretty obvious and entirely moronic. This is very much in line with Eszterhaus' later masterpieces Basic Instinct and Showgirls, but it's even dumber than those. Avoid at all costs.
Review of Jagged Edge
