Jagged Edge

FULL MOON SLEEPOVER

Directed by: Richard Marquand
Starring: Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, Peter Coyote, Robert Loggia
Duration: 108 minutes
Year of Production: 1985

Jack Forrester (Jeff Bridges) is accused of the brutal murder of his wife and hires a top criminal defense attorney (Glenn Close) to defend him. Soon, they develop a romantic relationship, yet she remains unconvinced of his innocence. When did those thrilling Hollywood erotic/legal/crime thrillers, which left you satisfied and breathlessly entertained after two hours, stop being made? The answer: when Basic Instinct became such a ferocious hit that everyone tried to imitate it, inevitably failing and flooding the market with insignificant knockoffs.

So, what does Jagged Edge share with Basic Instinct? Naturally, Joe Eszterhas—the legendary screenwriter crowned as king of the genre—who revolutionized mainstream cinema for nearly a decade, crafting a style so distinctive it became a masterclass subject in Los Angeles as the quickest path to screenwriting fortune. Of course, as often happens, the pioneer knows something the imitators don’t.

Here, Eszterhas honed his craft in the genre for the first time, Hollywood’s structure served him perfectly (especially Glenn Close, but also Jeff Bridges—you don’t find talents like these every day), and master director Richard Marquand (Return of the Jedi, Eye of the Needle) helms the plot with authority. Fans of the soundtrack will be lucky too, as John Barry delivers a rare electronic score of pure delight. Ilias Dimopoulos