SnoopyStyle
America has not entered WWI yet. Larry Darrell (Bill Murray) with his girlfriend Isabel Bradley (Catherine Hicks), his best friend Gray Maturin (James Keach) and Sophie MacDonald (Theresa Russell) live a comfortable upper class life. Larry and Gray go to Europe to drive an ambulance. After the war, Larry goes in search for himself. In Paris, he and Isabel end up not getting married as he pushes on as a coal miner and eventually cooking at a Tibetan monastery. Isabel ends up married to Gray who goes to work for his father. The Great Depression hits the family brokerage hard and Gray's father commits suicide. Sophie suffers after her husband and child are killed in a car crash. Larry runs into Isabel and Gray with their two daughters now broke in Paris. They also find Sophie who became a drug addicted prostitute.Bill Murray does a good but not a great job. He is always great at the zen jester character. He just can't reach the darker depths necessary during and right after the war. It also occurs to me that this is the story of two people. Isabel is the other person and the movie needs to zero in on that. Theresa Russell would have been a great Isabel although she's a perfectly fine Sophie in the movie. Sophie could have done by somebody more fragile. It's a good attempt by Murray but not all successful.
Porque Pyne
The title says it all. I've read pages of reviews for the Razor's Edge. Add me to the list of people who think that the viewer needs "the right kind of eyes" to understand this film. Watching this film, for the viewer with "the right kind of eyes" is like a cinematic punch in the gut. It will move the viewer without being the least bit preachy.I saw this film for the first time as a teen. (On HBO, I think.) I decided on the spot that I wasn't going to live a normal, boring life. I wasn't going to allow myself to be like the people in my suburban neighborhood -- caring about a nice house and a new car every year.I also found that I agree with the premise that there is no "meaning of life." It just is. We make our own meaning. So make yours a good one.I created an account here so that I could write this. For me, this isn't the best movie ever made. It's far more important than that. (Read the book, too. I saw the film first so that's what changed my life. I don't know if reading the book alone would have been enough.)
barille
This is a horrible take on the book. How could anyone cast Bill Murray in this role. If you have not read the book it would not matter perhaps. If you have read the book then do not waste your time. I really like Bill Murray but NOT in this role. The role of Maughnam is missing and was important to the story. Sophie did not play such a strong role in the book. The movie abbreviated the book and in exchange you wind up with a limp, wrong story. What enlightenment? Line up a bunch of books. I'm wondering if they really read the book or simply did a remake of the original movie.The only enjoyable part of the movie would be the Indian music.
DQGladstone
I've never seen the original "Razor's Edge" with Tyrone but I guess I'll have to look it up.I feel badly for Bill Murray because he must have a hard time living up to his expectations of himself. It must be difficult to be so excellent.I'm a fan, apparently. I think if you don't like Bill Murray, there's got to be something wrong with you.I saw this film at a time when I had no expectations of anything (my twenties) and was impressed by all the elements of the film: the acting, humor, message, cinematography, casting, etc., even though I knew nothing about anything. I loved that Larry made a promise to Isabel then had to regretfully go back on it rather than try to be faithful to a stupid promise. It's a mark of maturity to believe it's a man's prerogative to change his mind, I believe. Of course, he delayed commitment in the first place, a smart move.I loved when Larry said to Isabel at the end, so perfectly, "you just don't get it" when he really wanted to kill her, I would imagine.It was excellent when he responds to Denholm Elliot's, "an itinerant..." with "fishmonger?" and then he goes on to make his final moments happy ones. Denholm was excellent as the 2nd class snob with a heart.I love at the end of the film when Bill is vaulting up the steps at Montmartre. He makes vaulting look easy.This is a spiritual film that succeeds by not taking itself too seriously. RAZOR's EDGE has been described as BM's dramatic turning point but, even then, he was smart enough not to forget the comedy and to not get overly dramatic, i.e., when he was mourning the death of his real-life brother. Brian was also excellent as the cynical superior officer. Both Murrays are excellent at manifesting darkness when it's required. Apparently.I loved the scene where Isabel tempts Sophie with the fantastic wine, she was so cold and pitiless. Catherine Hicks was excellent as the cutie with a darkside agenda and Theresa Russell was never better than as the "betrayed by life" sexpot.This, to me, isn't just a good movie, it should be mandatory viewing in high school. It teaches with charm and brings great literature to life.
AD
