The Edge

SPOILER ALERT! The plot will be discussed.

Never thought of Anthony Hopkins as an action hero? Well, this neglected but noteworthy 1997 film will show you that he is an actor of many parts. David Mamet wrote the script, and, as noted elsewhere on this blog, he is a writer who explores on which side of “the edge” between civilized and uncivilized behavior people will choose to live their lives. Many of his stories present characters who must face whether they accept living by society’s rules, or want to cross the line into the realm of the renegade.

The film opens with wind howling. This sound always produces a sense of peril, something that is a threat to a sheltered existence. In contrast, a jet plane then appears, which is an image of humans conquering nature’s limitations by soaring above them, and fits in with later connections between flying and the main character. It also shows an incompatibility, with technology degrading the untouched natural beauty of the landscape. Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins), his name possibly implying he wants to live by a code of behavior that he must decipher, is a billionaire. Robert Green, Bob for short (Alec Baldwin), is a friend. His name may point to inexperience, and could have to do with the fact that he lacks the knowledge needed to deal with the wilderness. He is a photographer who takes pictures of Charles’s wife, Mickey (model Elle Macpherson), who is not only gorgeous, but much younger than her husband. The plane mechanic says he’d like to get his hands on “that,” and Charles thinks he’s talking about his wife, but the man means the billionaire’s plane. Either way, Charles has concern about others coveting what is in his life. He is advised of dangers traveling in the small prop plane they will be using because of several concerns, including bird strikes (a foreshadowing, and there are several in the beginning of the movie). Charles, unlike Bob, knows how flying into flocks of migrating birds can cause damage to airplanes. We learn early in the story that Charles is knowledgeable about many things. He reads from a book an employee gave him as a gift, which is entitled Lost in the Wild (more foreshadowing).

The panorama of the mountainous, snow-covered terrain, with its awesome ruggedness dwarfs the individuals arriving at the lodge where Charles and his group arrive. Stephen (Harold Perrineau) is there to assist Bob. The proprietor of the lodge, Styles (L. Q. Jones), is a rugged guy who built the place by hand, and would be hunting bear with his native friend Jack Hawk, if not for the arrival of the guests. Styles, his plural name indicating the duality of his nature, has one foot in the civilized world, entertaining visitors at his rustic hotel, and the other foot in the world of mountain men. Charles shows his eclectic knowledge by suggesting the use of an ironing board to help get Styles’s rifle “sighted.” Bob has come here seeking the “unsentimental,” the uncivilized, which is outside of his comfort zone, but he has no clue how to deal with that world. He is there to vicariously provide hints of the primitive through pictures. Charles hasn’t lived in remote places, but he at least has sought out wisdom in how to exist off the grid. It’s as if he has been waiting to be tested, unprotected by his wealth.

Mickey (her name conjures up a cartoon character who lives in a make-believe world in contrast to the stark reality where she now finds herself) boasts that Charles is very well-read. Styles challenges Charles to say what is carved on the other side of an oar that has a panther on one side. Charles knows it is a motif from the Cree Native American culture. He rightly answers that there is a rabbit smoking a pipe on the other side. When asked why he is smoking a pipe, Charles says the rabbit is unafraid of the panther, because the rabbit is “smarter than the panther.” This line drives the story. How do physically inferior humans survive in the dangerous wild? Only by using their wits. Charles, though, admits that he has retained all of these facts, but he hasn’t had the opportunity to put them to use (again, foreshadowing).

It is Charles’s birthday (although he’s not sure if anyone has remembered that fact), and it is suggested that the story symbolically shows that he must be reborn in a trial by ordeal. Styles warns them to be careful of bears (foreshadowing), and advises not to leave any food out that may draw the animals. Charles’s wife says she is going to bed, and Bob leans close to her, smiles, whispers something, and she pushes him away playfully, implying that he said something sexually suggestive. Charles, looking serious, observes the two, and it appears that again he is on alert about attempts to steal his wife away from him.

In their bedroom, Mickey says that she got the “creeps” about the bear talk. She also says Charles is a “most excellent man,” and that is why she married him. The later knowledge of her infidelity makes the compliment especially hurtful. He says that she is the only woman he ever “wanted.” Here, he does not say “loved.” Is this how a very rich person sees things, as acquisitions? He says that it is a special day for him, and, since that is how he feels, she says he needs to get away more. Little does she know how far removed from city life he will be. She tells him that he is an angel, except for the wings (which foreshadows how the small plane will go down later). But, his knowledge, and determination, will allow him to fly above the adversities he will encounter.

Mickey asks him to get her a sandwich, but he finds the kitchen door open, with meat sitting out. Charles is quick enough to understand the precariousness of the situation, and we feel the suspense with him. However, his wife and the others are playing a prank on Charles. Bob covers himself in a bear skin, scaring Charles, and makes the stunt part of a surprise birthday celebration. Again, Bob’s act is a foreshadowing, and it shows how the others play at danger, but are unprepared for really facing it. Also, it hints at Bob being an actual threat to Charles later. They all sing happy birthday to him, and he (after regaining his composure) is pleased to see that his wife has remembered his “special day.” Bob says Charles is generous, and has a good nature (again compliments that also make his betrayal worse). Mickey says Charles is also brave, which we later see is very accurate. Mickey gives him an engraved pocket watch, which he will later use for survival. Also, there will be revealed another engraved statement later that Charles will discover, which will undermine this gift. Bob gives Charles a pocketknife, and Styles reminds Charles that he has to give Bob a coin, according to a tradition. Charles knows about the superstition, saying that without the coin giving, the gift of a knife “cuts the friendship.” We have another foreshadowing.

Bob and Mickey do a flashy photo shoot while Charles, in contrast, is being practical, using his new knife to peel an apple as he looks at his survival book. Mickey has facial markings and wears feathers, possibly emulating some indigenous people of the area, but there is no authenticity in a model pretending to be from a native civilization. This attempt by the sophisticated fashion world to present the primal reality of the wilderness highlights the shallow nature of Bob and Mickey’s actions. Bob is stressed out about not being able to have Mickey’s shoes look right in the shot. Again, Charles tries to show the practicality of using what you have to work with, and says the inside of a banana peel can shine shoes.

Styles sees Charles open his book to a picture of a Kodiak bear, and Styles says that the animal is a killing machine, especially if it has tasted human flesh. (More foreshadowing). Bob says he wants to photograph Jack Hawk, Styles’s friend. Bob continues to seek an elemental, basic subject for his photography, not a male model who happens to be sick and can’t be there for the shoot. Styles informs Bob that Jack Hawk has no phone or radio, and is probably hunting. He is out in nature, being part of it, sustaining himself. Bob is only hunting for a photo opportunity.

Charles continues his fascination with learning about how to survive without the material enhancements that have defined his life. He mentions that the book says that one can make a compass with a needle (which shows up later in the story). Styles, supposedly a man compatible with living in the wild and requiring only basic needs, proposes the idea to Charles of converting the local area into a resort. This attempt to cash in on the allure of the pristine frontier is a disappointment to Charles, who has come there to escape materialism, and those who want to use him for his wealth. Charles walks away as soon as the investment pitch occurs.

Mickey suggests that Charles go with Bob and Stephen to look for Jack Hawk. She says that he should get some air under his wings, another reference to Charles being an angel, flying above others, trying to help those who can’t help themselves. Charles looks at Styles, and goes along on the trip because the lodge has turned out not to be far enough to get away from the materialistic world. Their plane has pontoons, and they arrive on the lake next to Jack Hawk’s place, who has gone to a spot twenty miles away according to a note he left. Charles warns his comrades to avoid a deadfall near the cabin, a concealed pit used to catch bears (foreshadowing). Bob says, “let’s be bold” and go look for Hawk. He has no idea what he’s getting into.

As they fly, Bob says to Charles that it must be tough having all that money and never knowing who to trust, who values you for yourself or your money. Charles, though, is not one to complain about good fortune. He says, “Never feel sorry for a man who owns a plane.” It is funny, but reinforces Charles connection to flying, and wings. Bob says that he admires Charles’s style, and thinks his wife is pretty “cute.” Charles, having seen the attraction between Mickey and Bob, and wondering about why Bob wanted Charles on this trip, asks, “So how are you planning to kill me?” Then the plane is hit by a bird strike, loses its wing (making it less angelic), and it crashes into the lake, killing the pilot, Charles is the one who keeps his calm, rescues Stephen, and takes the bag with flairs. While he uses his knife to cut Stephen loose, Bob swims away to the surface, only thinking of his own survival. Charles does lose his survival book, and must rely on his memory to use what he has read. He revives Stephen with CPR. While Bob is still in shock, Charles is already in survival mode, asking for matches so that they can make a fire to get warm. His actions show that he tries to fly above adversity.

They have trouble getting a fire started, indicating that even with the matches brought from the civilized world, one can still be left in the cold in this harsh environment. Bob uses a flare to start a fire, despite Charles using foresight and saying they will need the flares to signal for help. Overnight, Bob shows his frailty by falling down on the job, allowing the fire to go out, and Charles again reminds him they will need the remaining flares. Charles thinks that others will go to Hawk’s cabin, see the man’s note and go looking for them. But again Bob has messed up, taking Hawk’s note with him. Charles again uses his book learning. He says a book he read said that people lost in the wild die of “shame.” They keep blaming themselves for doing the wrong thing, wondering what they should have done differently. What they need to do is not dwell on the past, but deal with what to do next by “thinking.” Which goes back to the tale of the rabbit and the panther.

Charles configures in the dirt where the lodge is in comparison to Hawk’s cabin, and says a search party will look for them in that area. His conclusion is that they have to head south. He knows that a watch with a compass built in will help. But, the gift he was given by Mickey is broken (implying his relationship with her is also damaged?). Bob says, after hardly looking, that his watch is also broken. It is a suspicious evasion, which is explained later. Charles must resort to using the tools available to him to make a compass. He gets a leaf, places it in water, takes a paperclip, magnetizes it by rubbing it on the silk in his clothing, and puts the paperclip on the leaf. It rotates to point north, supposedly, so Charles says the opposite way is south. They head in that direction. Charles seems pleased that he was able to apply his knowledge.

Charles, wanting to show how much information he has absorbed, tends to drone on, dispensing what he knows. At one point, Bob tells him to conserve his breath, politely implying he should stop talking. Bob brings up the line about trying to kill Charles, and asks why would he do that. Charles says for his wife, and that he has seen how they are together, appearing intimate, not professional. Bob says he can get his own girls. Charles says that he would also be going for the money. Bob’s reply is, “Rich man. All anybody wants is to take something from you.” Bob is right in his assessment, but Charles is also justified in being suspicious of others. Then Bob, kiddingly, says that Charles has some latent homosexuality, and suggests that he, Charles, and Mickey get into a hot tub together, and let things play out. Bob says this with a lisp, mimicking a stereotypical characteristic of a gay man. He uses the lisp again, supposedly mocking gay feminine traits, but his preoccupation suggests some hidden homosexuality that he is denying through ridicule. Bob may be joking on the surface here, but there is the suggestion that he feels some attraction for Charles.

Just as they seem to be unwinding a bit, their relaxed attitude is undermined when the trio hears the growl of an animal. They then see a Kodiak bear approach, like the one Styles commented on at the lodge. (By the way, this is Bart the Bear, the same one in another Hopkins film, Legends of the Fall). They try to escape it, but it follows them. They are stuck near a waterfall. Charles, always thinking, gets them to use a tree trunk to cross the water. Bob and Stephen make it over to the other side, but the smart bear (yes, animals have their own intelligence) shakes the tree trunk, causing it to shift, which knocks Charles off, and he falls into the rushing stream, losing the flares in the process. The other two save Charles, and the bear, unable to reach them, wanders off. Momentarily, Charles is the one who seems to give up, blaming himself for losing the flares. But Bob, learning, reminds Charles about how shame is a killer. Bob, adopting the power of positive thinking, says they will use the matches to build a signal fire. Charles is grateful, and is surprised that Bob helped to save him. Bob jokes, saying he needs Charles to help him get out. And, if he killed him, he’d have to kill Stephen too, and he’s the only one who knows how he likes his coffee. Stephen joins in with the humor, saying Bob wants his women to be like his coffee, “bitter and murky,” They are able to laugh, despite their predicament, or maybe because of it, having survived this specific challenge.

As they continue their journey, Charles climbs up a rock, trying to get his bearings. It also makes him look majestic, as he surveys and appreciates the majesty of the mountains. However, Charles’s overconfidence in his knowledge is a flaw, and they actually wind up back at their original camp. The paperclip was attracted to Charles’s belt buckle, affecting its behavior. Charles didn’t consider this contingency. The implication is that even when using one’s wits, there may be unanticipated possibilities. Stephen is desperate now, saying that they are going to die, that they have nothing to eat. Bob is also upset, but doesn’t break down like Stephen. Charles tries to get Stephen to focus on a task, giving him a long branch, and telling him to sharpen it with his knife to make a spear, so that they can catch fish. He says that they will be rescued, or they will walk out of the wilderness, surmounting the obstacles placed before them. Bob is frustrated and questions whether they will be rescued, even though, as he says, society usually doesn’t like their billionaires misplaced. Charles, being forceful again, asks loudly, what are they supposed to do, lie down and die? That is the alternative to giving into despair.

Unfortunately, Charles’s attempt to give Stephen something to do backfires, since Stephen is an unskilled man in a place that requires skills. The man cuts his leg deeply with the knife. Charles uses a scarf as a tourniquet, and tells Bob to bury the bloody part of the pants. Charles uses the stars to set a course for the next day to head south. Bob says he is gaining a new perspective, commenting how different it is where they now are compared to the world where he photographed beautiful women, and snorted coke off of a girl’s thigh. Charles says jokingly, to ease the seriousness, “In what way?” Struggling to survive makes other inessential activities seem less important.

In the pouring rain, while Stephen moans, maybe because he has an infection, Bob asks what really are their chances of getting back to safety. Charles tries to keep the tone optimistic, saying that the odds are good. To undercut what he just said, Charles then sees the ripped clothing that Bob didn’t bury and only hung from a tree. Charles immediately realizes Bob’s fatal mistake, as there is now blood in the air. The bear is there, he charges, and mauls the helpless Stephen. Charles courageously, though pointlessly, tries to attack the bear with a burning branch, but falls down. It is Bob here who realizes the futility of the rescue. He uses another lit branch to rescue Charles, but they must escape as Charles’s confidence is devastated by the loss of Stephen.

Bob and Charles are in a snowstorm, trying to stay warm, building another fire. Charles, back in cool survival mode, says they will navigate by the stars. He says that they will have to find the river and then follow it back to civilization. Charles uses his knife to fashion a cage and they trap a squirrel to eat. A helicopter flies by, but the angelic Charles is not capable of rising to the occasion to get noticed. Bob is ready to give up, and Charles goes into his pedantic professorial stance, asking how can ice be used to make fire. He is trying to get Bob to not dwell on the negative, but instead to quickly move on. Bob, in tears, rants at him, saying how “moneyed people,” who only seem to be able to play golf at the country club, can actually bloom in emergencies, because they are so “dense” as to the ramifications of the crisis, being so use to success. Charles is able to make a joke even in these circumstances, saying he’s not dense, just has no imagination. Bob laughs, but wants to hold onto the belief that the helicopter will return. But Charles, Mr. Practical, says no, they have scoured the area and will move on. Bob concedes, and asks the practical question about the ice. Charles says one can fashion the ice into a lens to concentrate the sun rays to start a fire. He again shows how thinking can be used to transform a helpless situation into a chance to succeed.

Charles wants to catch fish from the stream. He uses the chain attached to his watch to bait the fish. He says it’s made of gold and the whole world yearns for it. Even among the animal world, there is an attraction to the precious metal, connecting the various species. He uses the thread from his sweater as a line. Here, the rich man must now use his material gains for basic survival. Bob says he isn’t in the mood for humor when Charles mentions how the allure of gold can even attract a fish. He tells Bob, “Don’t go native on me.” Despite the struggle to survive, Charles wants to hold onto the civilized trait of humor. 

As he fishes, the sees that the bear has tracked them there. It charges after Charles, who goes through a bunch of tangled tree branches that impedes the bear’s movement. He gets to Bob and they throw burning branches around them to create a fire barrier against the animal. But his growls are heard in the night, creating a very primal scene of terror. Charles knows that they can’t exit the fire ring. But if they don’t, they will starve. Bob asks if Charles has a plan, and at first Charles is frustrated by how he must be the one who must come up with a strategy. He finally says, “We’re gonna kill him.” In the end, alternatives are reduced to one choice in the wild. It is survival of the fittest, which means in such a situation, one must die for another to live.

Charles says they will lure the bear with blood from a cut on his hand to the spot they want. They will use the creature’s weight against him. As was shown in the survival book, the bear will impale himself on one of the spears that they make as he tries to pounce on one of them. Charles says that Indian youths can kill lions with spears, and Native Americans go up and slap bears. He fires up the doubting Bob by saying that he will kill the bear because, “What one man can do, another can do.” He uses the phrase as a kind of mantra to show that they are as capable of doing what other courageous men have done. Charles looks primal as he has reached an elemental state ready to face his foe.

They have marked an “X” with branches to designate a spot where sharp branches swinging from a tree will pierce the bear. However, the pointy sticks only graze the creature. They have several spears which they use to stab at the animal. The bear knocks Charles away, then whacks Bob, and attacks him. He is injured, but Charles quickly recovers and gets the bear to go after him instead. Charles plants the spear on the ground which impales the bear when he tries to pounce, as Charles planned. The men now eat the dead creature’s meat and use his fur for clothing. They have won the battle in this deadly challenge and use their victim to help with their survival. Charles makes necklaces using the bear’s teeth to symbolize their triumph. Charles says that he always wanted to do something that was “unequivocal,” meaning something that was basic, with no compromises or complications; something that was definite. Bob says that in the past Charles would just call a lawyer to deal with this bear problem, but Charles, again inserting humor, says wittily, “No, I wouldn’t do that to an animal.” As they walk, they look like they have transformed into mountain men, wearing their bearskins, and, in a way now inhabiting the animal’s spirit, Charles says nobody he knows actually changed his life, but after this experience, he says he will start his life again. He is rebooting himself after finally putting all of his theoretical, untested knowledge into practice, and now has a broader perspective on life.

They come across an abandoned cabin. Now that he doesn’t need Charles to fight the bear, Bob finds a rifle, starts to load it, and is ready to put his plan to kill Charles into effect. The bear kills for food, but man kills for self-indulgence involving sex and money. There is a canoe outside, and they check out a map that is in the shack. Bob now feels he can get back on his own because he has directions and a means of transportation. Charles wants to light the stove, and looks for something to burn. He opens the box that held the watch that Mickey gave him. In a bit of plot contrivance, Mickey left the note to the watch inscriber that also contained one addressed to Bob “for all the nights.” This explains why Bob was unwilling to give up his watch, saying it was broken. Bob is drinking a bottle of whiskey in the cabin, trying to acquire liquid strength for his lethal undertaking. He taps a bullet on the rifle, a kind of contemplative gesture to show he is trying to make up his mind as to whether to carry out the killing. He says if he had his camera with him, he would have made his “fortune.” But instead of the camera, he can shoot another object, the rifle, and make his fortune a different way. Charles says, “Can’t do it sober.” Charles says he wants to see Bob’s watch, and now Bob knows that Charles knows about the affair. Bob tries to convince himself to do the deed by saying that Charles had no business with a gorgeous, young woman like Mickey. It was his money that led her to him, he says. Bob orders Charles to go outside. Charles says that he wants to know how long has the affair been going on, because, he finally says, he not only wanted Mickey, he loves her. Charles already told of a deadfall at the previous cabin, and approaches Bob, who falls into one, impaling his leg.

Charles could be brutally savage here, letting his enemy die, but they are not bears, and Charles rescues Bob. He tries to stop the bleeding, but is frustrated this time since he has no real means to help him other than a tourniquet. He puts them in the canoe. They go on shore to start a fire to keep Bob warm. Bob marvels at the fact that Charles is trying to save his life. He asks what he will do when Charles gets back to the lodge. Charles says he may not go back, because what does he have to go back to? All of his wealth has not really made him feel fulfilled, and his wife was unfaithful to him. Bob now uses humor by repeating what Charles said earlier, that he can’t feel sorry for someone who owns a plane. Bob says he is truly sorry and tells Charles that Mickey had no part in the plan to do away with her husband. Charles tells Bob, “don’t die on me.” Bob smartly says, “Don’t tell me what to do.” Charles hears a helicopter. He is able to draw the attention of those on board by adding branches to the fire. But it’s too late for Bob, who dies. Charles returns to the lodge, and his only display of pride in surviving occurs when he says to Styles, “Why is the rabbit unafraid?” Styles acknowledges Charles’s accomplishment when he answers, “Because he’s smarter than the panther.” When he reunites with Mickey, he hands her Bob’s watch which has the inscription, and she now realizes that Charles knows of her unfaithfulness. Charles has, almost like a biblical hero, gone into the wilderness to be purified, and now has returned. There are many reporters there. He generalizes his experience to others that go through their own ordeals when he says to the press, “We’re all put to the test.” When asked how his friends died, he says, “They died saving my life.” In this statement, there is magnanimity, as Charles does not take credit for having survived by his own wits. But, his journey with the other men led him to want to change the priorities in his life. So, in a way, they did save him.

The next film is Key Largo.