66
Metascore
29 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 91The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsMuch of The Edge's success can be credited to Baldwin and Hopkins, who know just how far to push a performance without crossing too far into ham territory.
- 80The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinThere's no need to worry that Mamet is on foreign territory with this action premise. The Edge succeeds ably in blending his famously acerbic dialogue with nerve-racking adventure scenes.
- 80NewsweekDavid AnsenNewsweekDavid AnsenMamet brings an unusual level of intelligence to this boys'-adventure formula, and an edgy understanding of the ongoing games of one-upmanship men play. After a rocky, dutifully expositional beginning, The Edge turns into an unusually gripping suspense movie, its peril all the more effective for being unfashionably low-tech.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertThe Edge is like a wilderness adventure movie written by David Mamet, which is not surprising, since it was written by Mamet. It's subtly funny in the way it toys with the cliches of the genre.
- 75The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasTamahori’s workmanlike production doesn’t match the elemental power of Mamet’s script, and it fails to evoke the harsh physical conditions that turn ordinary, civilized men into resourceful survivalists and predators.
- 63San Francisco ExaminerBarbara ShulgasserSan Francisco ExaminerBarbara ShulgasserIt takes more than a few lines of clever dialogue, a hero who reads books, and an actor with British training and lots of dignity to keep a movie from going pretty much by the book.
- 60EmpireAdam SmithEmpireAdam SmithBart, the bear used in the dramatic attack sequences, gets top billing in the end credit crawl. Which is fair enough, but hardly inspiring.
- 50Austin ChronicleRussell SmithAustin ChronicleRussell SmithNeither Hopkins nor Baldwin can be faulted. Both explore and illuminate their half-realized characters as best they can, but creating any real power or suspense is just too big a bear to kill.
- 50ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliThe Edge comes across as a parody/adventure without a clear sense of identity.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleSan Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalleAs the photographer, Baldwin tries to keep his chin up, but he's ultimately sunk by the built-in ludicrousness of the character he plays. But Hopkins -- through wit, luck and imagination -- emerges victorious from the barren wilderness of Mamet's script. He has only himself to thank.