Edison (2005) User Reviews

Hey... it wasn't THAT bad!

[greendevilrc · 5/10 · 25 July 2006]

Oh please... the worst movie ever?? Not even close. Any movie with Spacey and Freeman can't be all that bad. McDermott was actually pretty good. His 'bad boy cop' routine worked and LL Cool Jay was even OK as his partner. Nothing special but come on. Worst movie? You obviously don't see that many!

Bad cops vs cub reporter / aging veteran reporter. Not the most original story but there were enough action scenes to keep me interested and with the exception of Timberlake, the acting was good and the directing was quick and clean.

The worst part of the movie was Spaceys wig.

strong at the beginning, weak at the end

[mark_wyp · 5/10 · 3 December 2005]

Edison starts out as a good,solid action thriller. The story builds up pretty nice, even Justin Timberlake surprises with his acting. But as the movie move's on it turns into a normal average action flick, flamethrowers included. A pity when you consider the star packed cast(Kevin spacey, Morgan freeman, ll cool j). The violence is hard and real, especially when the journalist and his girlfriend are being beat up. But turns overdone at the end of the movie, with big shootouts and trunks full of army stock. overall i've came to this conclusion, Edison: an average movie that could be so much more.... i give it 5 out of 10.... m.w.

The most inconsistent movie I have ever seen.

[straterpatrick · 5/10 · 21 July 2006]

Edison Force is so very inconsistent. Not just the plot but everything from the acting to editing, special effects, casting and even the score. The vast range between the quality levels is something I don't think I have ever seen. There are some scenes that would fit nicely in a Michael Mann movie and others that looked like a made-for-TV (or DVD) Uwe Boll film.

A good example is Timberlake whose acting is really all over the map. Sometimes really good, other times horrible with a lot of okay mixed in. Sometimes you really think he might pull it off only to be disappointed in the next scene.

Freeman and LL Cool J were fine but Spacey just looked bored.

It really seemed like they started off great and then everyone just lost interest. The last third of the movie goes right to the crapper and you really know things are bad when somehow a flamethrower is introduced for some cheep (very cheep) thrills.

Overall I would say that the movie is worth watching if you are a fan of the actors and this genre of film but only as a study of how wildly the quality of a film can vary from scene to scene.

Freeman, Spacey, McDermott, Heard and... Timberlake??

[canadude · 3/10 · 9 November 2005]

I don't remember the last time I reacted to a performance as emotionally as I did to Justin Timberlake's in "Edison." I got so emotional I wanted to scream in anguish, destroy the screen, readily accept the hopeless cries of nihilism. Timberlake is horribly miscast; in fact, casting him is like casting Andy Dick to play the lead role in "Patton," or Nathan Lane to play Jesus. But that is almost beside the point.

Timberlake is simply a bad actor and he would be equally terrible in any role. I used to have problems with Ben Affleck's acting talent, but Timberlake makes Affleck look like Sir Ian McKellen or Dame Judi Dench. With his metrosexual lisp (read lithp), his boyish glances and emotional expressions which derive from something like "The 25 Cliché Expressions for Actors," he poisons the screen upon which he is inflicted mercilessly, and no matter how you slice it, I do not and will not buy his role as an amateur-turned-crusader-for-justice journalist. It simply will not fly.

However, Timberlake alone isn't to blame for his failure. Director David J. Burke puts him not only in the (essentially) primary role, but also places him aside Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, John Heard, Dylan McDermott, Cary Elwes and (I'm surprised he was as good) LL Cool J. I can imagine one almost physically suffering watching some of this cast interact with Timberlake.

There is an upside to this of course: the moment any of these actors interact without Justin there it feels like a double relief. A pleasure, if you will. Freeman and Spacey may not have more than 10 minutes of screen time alone together, but that ten minutes is blissful in contrast to their scenes with our so-called hero. Dylan McDermott is also a breath of fresh air.

But enough of Timberlake bashing - words aren't enough in this particular case to do the trick. "Edison" is a very, very run-of-the-mill corruption story. It's plot ranges from cliché to simply preposterous. I do, however, admire the motivation behind making it, which I interpret as an homage to films like "Serpico," or "Donnie Brasco," or maybe even "Chinatown." Don't get me wrong - "Edison" is not even in the same ballpark as these films, but I can stretch my suspension of disbelief to admire its reason for existence, perhaps to justify my sitting through it.

The script, in and of itself, features some surprisingly bad writing. Yes, it has some decent interchanges, but any conversation between Piper Perabo (who is wasted here) and Timberlake seems like it was lifted straight out of a Dawson's Creek episode. It's your typical far-too-glib-for-reality, let's-impress-the-audience-with-how-well-we-articulate (and fail) dialogue. This dialogue, mind you, is punctuated by great music at the wrong moments - sometimes it feels like "Edison" wants to morph into a music video, where the emotion of the scene is not communicated through acting, but precisely through the badly chosen music and variant film speeds (read slow-motion).

Thinking about it, "Edison" is a curiosity. It's sure as hell got a cast to kill for but the performances are marred by Timberlake who simply doesn't work. In film as in most art, if one thing is off, the whole thing feels off. Directors must make tough choices. David J. Burke missed the mark here. Some of the scenes play well in and of themselves, but as a whole, they don't seem to fit like puzzle pieces from different puzzles forced into one incoherent picture. And it's not particularly an exciting puzzle to begin with.

Exciting movie with dirty cops, corruption, intrepid reporters, shoot out and violence

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 8 February 2008]

The film deals about the powerful Edison foundation and the elite force called F.R.A.T. At the beginning movie is told by off-voice with following words: ¨You're big venue now. Global commerce,sports franchises, chit-char cafés. But you don't get it because you don't see it. Life is not what you think it is. Because of guys like us, you can go on thinking it, till reality sets on. Reality's annoying. The first thing you do when it hits you is wonder where we are , we do our crap. But remember, it's a dirty world. And without us, it's be a whole lot dirtier. Welcome to Edison! ¨.

Agent Deed(LL CoolJ) and his violent pal, the sergeant Lazerov(Dylan McDermott)pull off a busting into domicile of Rook and Isaiah. Lazarev kills Rook and steals cocaine,money and arms; Isaiah is accused and convicted in courtroom. A young investigative journalist named Pollack (Justin Timberlake)with aspiration to win Pulitzer prize investigates the evidences and unearth deeds about complete corruption of justice system and abuses with brute force by police force. Then, his life and his sweetheart(Piper Parabo)are threatened, but she goes in coma. As he teams up with his jaded newspaper editor(Morgan Freeman), once-famed photographer in Cambodia, and an investigator(Kevin Spacy)working for district attorney,DA(Gary Elwes).

This exciting film packs noisy action, car chase, explosion,shoot out, and continuous intrigue . It's a noir movie plenty of suspense, thrills, dirty cops with a Police Departmment corrupt and some of violence for police brutality and shots in the forehead and the back. The movie is well performed by a plethora of excellent actors, Freeman, Cool, John Heard and a sensational baddie by Dylan McDermott, among others. Colorful cinematography and stirring musical score by Machine Head. The motion picture is professionally directed by David Burke, though with some flaws. Rating : Acceptable and passable.

I registered with IMDb just to tell the world how bad this movie really is!!!

[barry_holleran · 1/10 · 13 November 2005]

Normally, I have much better things to do with my time than write reviews but I was so disappointed with this movie that I spent an hour registering with IMDb just to get it off my chest.

You would think a movie with names like Morgan Freeman or Kevin Spacey would be a bankable bet... well, this movie was just terrible. It is nigh on impossible to "suspend disbelief"; I tried, really, I wanted to enjoy it but Justin Timberlake just wouldn't let me.

Timberlake should stick to music, what a dreadful performance - NO presence as an actor,NO character. Can't blame everything on Justin: The movie also boast a dreadful plot & badly timed editing; its definitely an "F".

After seeing this, I have to wonder what really motivates actors. I mean, surely Morgan actually read the script before taking the part. Did he not see how poor it was? What then could motivate him to take the part? Money? Of course, acting is at times more about who you are seen with rather than really developing quality work.

LL Cool J is a great actor; he gets a lot more screen time than Freeman or Spacey in this movie and really struggles to come to terms with the poor script.

Meanwhile, the audience goes: "What the hell is going on here? You expect me to believe this crap?"

In short, apart from Justin a great lineup badly executed - very disappointing.

Great cast, good flick

[dacmoviebuff · 7/10 · 12 September 2021]

Just don't understand the bad reviews. This is far from being a bad movie. Yes, it's been done before and was a little predictable, but certainly worth watching. I agree that the worst thing about it is Spacey's wig. What were they thinking? Looked like roadkill. Dylan McDermott was a nasty bad guy, but Spacey was terribly underutilized. I think the director was the problem here.

Terrible Role Miscast

[mourngrym1969 · 3/10 · 23 November 2005]

Wow. I do not think I have ever seen a movie with so many great actors that had such a pivotal role so miscast. Justin Timberlake is perhaps the single worst actor to land a bigtime role in a movie with the star power and money behind it that Edison had.

His acting was PAINFUL to observe. The story was OK and all the other characters were played by professional actors, heck, even LL Cool J was fine since he has had numerous small parts to cut his teeth on. How the director and movie company figured that Timberlake was ready for this role there is no way to comprehend.

His character ruins the entire experience since every time he is on screen you are actually rooting for the corrupt cops to cap his sorry ass, and he is supposed to be the hero... I would not waste money on this one at the theater or on video. MAYBE if you have HBO and have NOTHING else to do at 2am on a Saturday night and you are drunk and stoned, this may be OK.

Watching Timberlake in this role was like watching a human 'Kermit the Frog' act in a Hollywood Blockbuster, just didn't work at all.

Another View of Police Corruption

[gradyharp · 7/10 · 29 July 2006]

Though this movie has a first rate roster of fine actors, special effects that are excellent, and a story line that is full of surprises, it wasn't picked up for studio distribution and went directly to DVD. Perhaps it contains too much 'anti-police force' information, or perhaps it is juts one too many action flicks released during a glut, but whatever the reason the big screens missed the opportunity, fortunately the new concept of releasing direct to DVD allows us to enjoy it.

The theme is old: rookie reporter uncovers an inner circle of cops that are corrupt - in this case the F.R.A.T. (First Response Assault and Tactical) team, a group of well trained policeman created to clean up the mythical city of Edison from its low point of crime, drugs, prostitution etc. Working undercover the temptation of pocketing the confiscated goods and money proves too much of an opportunity and now, 15 years after its formation, FRAT is responsible for murder, drug trafficking, terrorizing innocent people etc. The lead dog is Lazerov (Dylan McDermott, who makes a terrifyingly real gangster!) and his partner Rafe Deed (LL Cool J, even more buff than usual and proving he can be a sensitive actor). Reporter Pollack (Justin Timberlake) catches wind of a 'bad mistake' and reports his theory of fraud and corruption to his paper's boss Ashford (the always reliably fine Morgan Freeman). Gradually Polack convinces Ashford and subsequently Wallace (Kevin Spacey, also a consistently fine character actor) and they aid Pollack in this investigative reporting. The closer Pollack gets to the truth the more surprises and bad incidents happen and the story runs pall mall toward a series of unexpected results.

Timberlake lacks the charisma to carry the lead, especially in the company of such seasoned actors. But LL Cool J, Freeman, Spacey, and McDermott keep the well-oiled machine of a movie rolling to the very end. No, it is not a great movie, but it is one that makes for an edge of the seat action flick with a message. Grady Harp

Lukewarm performances in a fantasy world

[soaraway · 3/10 · 18 December 2005]

LL Cool J performed much better in this movie that I expected! He did a fabulous job acting as a "renegade" cop within a "renegade" department. From the very beginning, he does a great job of building viewer empathy for his character and the predicament he's in. He acts as a sort of "gentle giant" -- a person whose rough exterior can scare anybody, yet whose heart is clearly in the right place from the very start -- and he does an amazing job. He was quite clearly the best character in the movie.

This was certainly a performance that will not win Morgan Freeman any awards. After starring in powerhouse films like the Shawshank Redemption this film was certainly a step down. His role in Edison simply did not allow him to show his true talents as an actor -- and in terms of the conglomeration of characters placed him sadly on a back burner. There are so many ways his character (Moses Ashford) could have taken a more pivotal role. That he didn't was disappointing and a true let-down. I was hoping to see more from him in this film.

Timberlake ought to have stayed in the music industry. His portrayal of a young journalist was poorly acted and unpersuasive. This movie is a typical action movie that (at least initially) bears some resemblance to corrupt police affairs LA has experienced in the past. Being an action movie, it has its share of shoot-em-up scenes, blood, and guts. These scenes are typically unrealistic and painfully predictable. Watching the beginning of the movie there is very little suspense as to what will happen at the end -- think of what you would typically expect in a good-cops/bad-cops conflict -- and it bears little resemblance to a REAL police shoot-out.

What irked me most was the way Timberlake's character behaved during shoot-out scenes. He starts out having guns and not using them. Then when he finally gets around to using one he fires it as if he's been firing a gun his whole life. Then he runs out of bullets and doesn't have a gun -- and 30 seconds later, without moving or anything -- suddenly has 2 more fully loaded guns AND extra ammo?! Little plot errors like this really ruined the movie for me.

If what you are looking for is a blatantly fictional plot in a fantasy world where everything turns out okay, then you'll probably love this movie. Personally, it doesn't matter to me what KIND of movie it is as long as it is realistic. Make me believe that the story is true. This story was so obviously fictional in so many aspects that I came away feeling unsatisfied.

I thought it was good and I'm not a gushing JT fan

[robinyj69 · 8/10 · 31 July 2006]

First off, I'm not some Justin Timberlake fangirl obsessed with making him look good, in fact I'm not even a huge Justin fan, but I did like this movie.

I work at a video store and when I saw this movie with its huge cast that I'd never even heard of I had to see what it was about. I didn't find Justin's acting that bad, it was clearly the worst out of the group, but it's a pretty impressive group, with Cary Elwes and Dylan McDermott being two names that didn't even make the first credits list. The story is basic, a journalist uncovering corrupt cops, but I found it well done. L L Cool J's character was clearly conflicted, but I honestly didn't know what he would do in the end. Morgan Freeman is as always, the wise mentor figure he does so well, and as much as I love Kevin SPacey, he was kind of just there. HIs character didn't have a whole lot of substance, but it's Kevin Spacey, he can do no wrong.

Surprisingly I thought Dylan McDermott gave the best performance as a homicidal cop. Truly believable and really in character, he freaked me out a couple of times.

I was really expecting a lot of cheesiness to be honest. Horrible catchphrases, unjustified action sequences, stuff like that, but it was surprisingly well done and I didn't find any of that. Every shooting had a point, it wasn't clichéd, pretty solid really.

overall, amazing cast, decent story that kept me interested and just enough action to make me jump. I don't know why it didn't appear in theatres, it was better than some garbage I've seen on the big screen. I would say it's worth seeing.

Beat the heat

[freakfire-1 · 6/10 · 2 June 2008]

This movie has some interesting things in common with a certain Tom Cruise film. That film, entitled Minority Report, is about a huge police agency that is supposed to prevent crime from happening. Here, its a special agency that patrols a city with a certain brand of martial law. Not entirely similar, but enough to recognize.

Timberlake gives enough of a performance to show he isn't just a music performer. His pairing with Morgan Freeman was alright, but I thought they didn't compliment each other enough. Plus, Freeman seems withdrawn for much of the movie and didn't provide enough of a backdrop on him.

The ending was predictable to me and the tactics were common in these movies. It was an old formula with descent results. So have a go at it if you must. But remember that Timberlake likes the ladies. "C+"

why, why, why

[lilacrose12082 · 2/10 · 12 February 2006]

That is the only question I am left with. Why did this movie suck so much when it had such a great cast? Why was the writing so bad, it left the audience completely unconnected with the characters? Why did it not make any sense at all? Why did the studio take a perfectly good premise and "Hollywood" the hell out of it when all it needed was good, smart story telling? Why? I never understand why movies that start out good turn into a pile of crap by the time they're released. I hope for the sake of Freeman an Spacey, who are Oscar WINNERS, that this never is released to the big screens in America.

As someone that holds a Bachelors Degree in Journalism, the whole story is just utterly laughable. I just...think the script had potential, but the execution turned it into a cliché, and an awful one at that. Just. No.

Had promise, faded fast.

[MrDrew9 · 1/10 · 30 May 2006]

The movie started off strong, LL Cool J (Deed) as an undercover police officer, with partner Sgt. Lazerov (Dylan McDermott from the Practice, possibly miscast as a bad guy?) committing robbery and murder. Deed refuses to kill the drug dealer, which sets up the conflict of a dirty cop with a conscience. The other big names (Freeman, Spacey et al) are well cast and the movie shows promise.

The movie begins to fall short as soon as Justin Timberlake (Pollack) is introduced. Given the opportunity to make a good movie that people will possibly see repeatedly, or one that teenage girls will go and see the once because of Timberlake, I would choose the former. Even talented actors have to work hard at their craft; Timberlake is NOT talented and no amount of hard work can save him. I would have thought he would put on a better show, given the fact that he has been acting talented for years. Everything he did in this film was unconvincing.

Just because a singer sells millions of records and sells out stadiums, it does not automatically translate that they can act successfully in feature films. Even hardcore N'Sync fans will not be able to ignore the obvious lack of acting talent.

That aside there are a few plot holes, such as Pollack's sudden sniper ability and deadly operation of warehouse machinery. This movie had so much promise. Thoroughly disappointing.

A fascist state exists in the US...no way really??!!

[dimitriv96 · 6/10 · 29 July 2005]

So cops are dirty but some are good. Old good reporters come back to help young keen ones. There is corruption ripe in every company that tries to clean the filth off the streets. The only way to clean up America is to create a fascist state to clean the scum off the face of the earth. No problem there, but when they start knocking off good clean cut kids well we gotta problem there amigo. It starts off pretty good with the best character, the bad cop, Dylan Mc Dermott (excellent) giving the movies drive and momentum and ends with the worst shoot up scene in the world, where an elite cop squad gets wiped out by one of their own...Sad really...Kevin Spacey is not given enough screen time...Justin Timberlake is a surprise. Morgan Freeman always a classic.The movie is NOT a classic, starts with a bang and end with a splutter. Worth seeing for the first hour only.

In awe of how bad this movie was....

[AdamM310 · 1/10 · 18 September 2005]

i saw this movie at the toronto film festival with fairly solid expectations. the movie has a great cast and was closing at the festival so it must be good, right? how wrong i was.

i knew we were in trouble when before the film the director was talking about how when he was directing an episode of wiseguy he met an unknown actor named kevin spacey (a director/writer of wiseguy making his feature debut = blah)... well the director/writer of Edison must have some incriminating pictures of kevin spacey killing a homeless man, because i cannot see how he (along with the other actors in the film) would ever agree to be in this disaster.

this movie is absolutely appalling! it's a mixture of every cop hard boiled cliché ever. there is nothing new with Edison. the acting was bad and the direction was even worse. it looked like that aforementioned episode of wiseguy. this was the best casted direct to video movie i've ever seen.

some examples of just bad silly moments in Edison... morgan freeman dancing around his apartment for no reason to rock and roll music... justin timberlake getting creative criticism from his belle while his apartment is surrounded by candles... llcoolj driving a vintage firebird... 3 guys being shot in the head...

this movie is the opposite of good.

STAY AWAY FROM EDISON!

Positively surprised

[dancing_sandra · 5 April 2006]

This movie was much better than i expected it would be. The fact that now also Justin Timberlake is acting made me think that as long as you are famous you can do anything you want. Like why is Paris Hilton singing? I am kind of drifting off, what i really want to say is that i was positively surprised I actually thought that Justin was very good and even ll cool j was better than expected. The plot of the movie wasn't that great because in the end everything just went to easy hut i guess in movies everything is possible. If you are a Timberlake fan you will not be disappointed and i even dare to say that when you are not a Timberlake fan you will also enjoy this movie. I am not saying Oscars but it was definitely amusing and worth seeing.

Great actors Strong start Bad 2nd half

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 5 November 2013]

Pollack (Justin Timberlake) is a young ambitious reporter on the trails of corrupted cops, but he finds a more pervasive rot in the city. Morgan Freeman plays his editor who first fires him then mentors him. LL Cool J plays the conflicted cop, and Dylan McDermott plays the corrupted crazy cop. The cast also includes Kevin Spacey and John Heard. That's a great list of actors.

This is Justin Timberlake's first big acting gig. He's basically playing himself, a young buck over his head against some of the biggest players around. So he fits the role perfectly. Morgan Freeman is the wise old man although I didn't need to see him do old man dancing. Dylan McDermott brings great intensity although he starts to overact around midpoint of the movie. And that's when it slowly unraveled. The ending is a mess.

Fraud !!!

[eastskov · 1/10 · 1 August 2005]

Beginning with the poster (featuring only Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey), the entire movie was a fraud. One stereotype after another, this movie was about nothing - or nothing new, at least. After 10-15 minutes, you realize that you've just paid to see Justin Timberlake and LL Cool J recite their way through another cop-flick.

Basically, the story is about the corrupt system in some city, all secretly supported by the backbone business and in town, under the watchful eye of some hot-shot politician. The almighty and above-the-law organization is called FRAT and guess what? they've got a kick-ass loony cop shooting and beating at will - suspects, girlfriends, you name it. FRAT cops are corrupt and greedy, so they end up making mistakes that get discovered by a young and talented (!!!) journalist. One hour later, after a series of unbelievably bad-made shooting scenes and more stereotype lines, everything ends happily and we get served the final line : you can't beat the system. Bah! Don't see this waste of film roll. Freeman and Spacey barely have 10 min altogether!

Sunday Movie

[lkmb · 7/10 · 9 July 2007]

Edison Force is one of many thrillers out there, and shares many of its weaknesses. Despite that, it is quite enjoyable. Nothing new under the sun but all ingredients nicely mixed. As usual one have a renegade cop, secret organisation, large scale corruption, young apprentice and old master etc. Unfortunately,especially given the number of times those element has been used before, there are some shortcomings in the storyline, particularly in the final scenes of the movie. But this is an easygoing thriller and , those are to be expected. It also have its moments. Most of them, are to do with the parts being given to specific actors. At the beginning I was slightly surprises with it, but then I fund it a interesting idea, which gave move an interesting vibes.

All in all, a good movie to watch on Sunday evening.

Terrible, simply did not work

[timmahkato · 1/10 · 8 December 2006]

I found it very very difficulty to watch this after the initial 5 minutes of the film. I managed to stomach 45-50 minutes before switching it off in disgust and watching Monster House instead (which, by the way, is great fun).

The story has massive holes in it. The plot line is hugely over stated and dull, the acting is awful, especially from Justin TImberlake who should really stick to what he is good at (looking daft and singing like a castrato). Morgan Freeman looked incredibly uncomfortable, especially when made to dance around to rock music for no apparent reason half way through the film after him and Timberlake meet. Freeman and Timberlake's characters seem to be supposed to have some sort of father/son relationship of sorts or something, which simply isn't evident at all apart from the fact that; though Freeman's character seems to have nothing but contempt for the ignorant and rather stupid character of Timberlake, he never the less pulls out all the stops to help him uncover a completely ridiculous cover up.

It would take some incredible suspension of disbelief to give any credit to the story line, which is simply absurd and blown out of all proportion.

Don't watch this film, it is a pure waste of time.

In a crooked time where there are questions that can't be answered and demands that go without questioning; who can you trust?

[George_Langworth · 8/10 · 10 August 2005]

I was fortunate enough to catch a free screening for this film in Los Angeles and I'm proud to say I was more than satisfied. Edison is powerful, action packed, edge of your seat excitement. LL Cool J is a cop caught between a rock and a hard place because the business which is suppose to be enforcing justice becomes more than just protecting the law. Justin Timberlake is "Pollack" a naive young journalist trying to get to the bottom of the suspicious actions surrounding the "First Response And Tactical" aka the "F.R.A.T." The film is provocative and has a quality blend of mind blowing action and an extraordinarily riveting plot. Morgan Freeman manages to do it again, this time as the mentor and veteran journalist who's challenging force becomes an encouragement to the aspirations of Pollack. The most impressive aspect in this film is the pacing that director David J. Burke chooses to set as the tone for the film. Though there are points where the plot moves slower than others, it still advocates a movement that will keep an audience captivated and enthralled till the final showdown. If you are looking for the type of action film that's a psychological thriller or slapstick comedy, then you should hold onto your money till the return of "Keyser Soze" or "Rush Hour 3." Edison is simply a popcorn and soda, sit back and relax, shoot em up that will have you leaving the theater smiling.

One step below

[jpschapira · 6/10 · 17 March 2007]

That "Edison" delivers is a fact; and it delivers well. David J. Burke, a writer of big knowledge when it comes to police forces (he's been the hand of a lot of series), tried to make a longer story that I'm guessing later became a script that tells the life of the good cop Rafe Deed (LL Cool J, who has become an accomplished actor) making sacrifices in the middle of the Edison FRAT division force; and ultimately became his wish of directing a film. I'm really not sure if he was the right choice for the direction of his own tale.

When shooting a crime movie, direction has to be utterly connected to writing, so the viewer gets to see the true objectives of a film. Basically, Burke tries to give us a complex tale about corruption in the police force and his direction just doesn't fit it. It's like he's pretending to be interesting but we feel it as something else; so at the beginning (a very motivating first scene) the camera embraces darkness and goes deep and the edition is careful but five minutes later dynamic shots take over and everything seems out of place.

In "Collateral", Michael Mann's riveting film about a cab driver threatened by an assassin, the director achieves a perfect balance between dynamism and slow observation; in "Edison", Burke is playing with the camera (and he's playing very well) but not for the benefit of the movie. It's too bad, because his screenplay is well crafted, confusing and, except for some boring and improper voices in off, demands attention.

That's why we pay a lot of notice to the characters, intelligent and surviving human beings with more than one dimension. Everyone is one step ahead in Burke's world; everyone is a little bit smarter, and they need to be because they live in an environment full of mysteries and undiscovered truths. He creates the good people, journalists and investigators: Moses Ashford, played by a relaxed Morgan Freeman who hits all the right notes; Lee Wallace, another of Kevin Spacey's unique compositions and Josh Pollack, played by Justin Timberlake in his first acting attempt. If I hadn't seen him in "Alpha Dog", I would have said he's terrible here; but now I know his range, and it's not small.

The bad people, corrupted cops and politicians: Lazerov, one hell of a performance by Dylan McDermott; John Heard's nice turn as Captain Tilman and D.A Jack Reigert, portrayed by an underused Cary Elwes. As we do, Burke gives importance to his characters; that's why action scenes are not all shooting and running and they contain tense interactions by a different number of players, which is not common when you're blowing things up.

There are movies like "SWAT" that are pure entertainment and we accept them for that, so we like them. Then, there are works like "Edison", which should be interesting and different so that we can put them one level above. They should also be longer, because apparently they have more things to tell. However, Burke's picture is a lot shorter than "SWAT", it doesn't make the cut and it remains one level below.

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde scriptwriting.

[p-stepien · 3/10 · 22 March 2009]

Well... the movie actually does start off nicely, almost promising us a Training Day calibre movie. LL Cool J may not be a classy actor, but he outdoes all other rapper competition with two hands tied behind his back. Add to that Dylan McDermott, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman and John Heard giving in solid performances and we almost hit a home run. Even Justin Timberlake, albeit slightly uneven and partially unconvincing, doesn't take away from enjoying the movie.

I really liked most of the dialogues, which were nicely written and added a strong punch to interaction between characters.

But if so much is right how the hell did the director steer so far off course and got completely lost? The first half of the movie actually sets up a great bad cop movie, but then suddenly we are thrown into the tragic territory of BAD script. And when I mean BAD I really must stress the capital letters. I won't get into too much detail, but the actions of the heroes and the baddies suddenly become so absurd and illogical from a moron's perspective, that you can only gasp in awe at the stupidity of the ending.

The final shootout is just so out there in terms of common sense that it almost seems like someone forced it onto the poor director / scriptwriter David J. Burke. How can someone write such enticing dialogue and come up with such idiotic plot solutions? Dual personality disorder? Not even Spacey and Freeman can save this movie from being a qualified train-wreck.

I should have known better

[xredgarnetx · 2/10 · 26 August 2006]

LL Cool J. Morgan Freeman. Dylan McDermott. Kevin Spacey. John Heard. Cary Elwes. Roslyn Sanchez. Justin Timberlake -- wait a minute. Justin Timberlake? And he's the star? I should have known better than to rent EDISON FORCE. In fact, I did know better. But in a moment of absolute weakness, I rented this STV. When you have big names like Freeman and Spacey in an STV, you know it's one of two things: an indie or a dog. As in sat-on-a-shelf. Which this did. And with good reason. The plot as such involves a squad of corrupt killer cops a la MAGNUM FORCE, and "journalist" Timberlake is the only one brave enough to uncover them. He is targeted for his efforts -- or maybe I should say for his horrible acting. I turned it off after one of the bad guys was shot through the forehead and still had the forethought to turn to his shooter and smile before collapsing. Just awful. The real tipoff to how bad this flick is to see Freeman on the cover and throughout the movie sporting an unruly beard, looking like nothing so much as a hobo. You just know the director was not in control. Freeman is clearly slumming.