The Razor’s Edge (1984)

“The pathway to salvation is as narrow and as difficult to walk as a razor’s edge. ” – Tibetan Monk

Number of Times Seen – 1 (17 Dec 2018)

Brief Synopsis – After he experiences the horrors of war during World War I, an ambulance driver sets off to find peace and harmony in his life.

My Take on it – This is a film that I’ve been interested in seeing ever since I saw the original film with Tyrone Powers almost two years ago.

I was hoping to see if Bill Murray is the kind of comedic actor who when given a dramatic role is able to make us enjoy his performance even more.

Two examples of comedic actors who have done so were Robin Williams and Don Rickles who were always great in comedic roles, but when given dramatic ones, they soared.

This is a film that tries to show the effects of war and how someone who experiences such Hell on Earth can try to seek inner peace however possible even if it means that he must move away from the high society life that he is used to.

Unfortunately, Murray isn’t able to give as impressive a performance in this role as Powers did in his version and the film is lacking because of this.

The story is dragged along too slowly and it takes a lot of patience to actually get all the way through it.

This is quite unfortunate since the overall premise is quite interesting and if presented better, it could have been so much more enjoyable.

Bottom Line – Interesting look at how someone effected by war and destruction could try and find a better way to live his life especially when everyone else tries to remain in their high society circles. Unfortunately, Murray doesn’t do nearly as great a job as Powers did 40 years earlier and this story doesn’t work as well because of it.  The story drags a bit too much and one needs lots of patience in order to get through it.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Bill Murray made a deal with Columbia Pictures that he would appear in Ghostbusters (1984) only if they financed this movie. Originally, no studio was interested in making the film until Dan Aykroyd suggested the deal to Murray. On the final day of shooting, Murray flew to New York City to start filming Ghostbusters.  (From IMDB)

Rating – BAFTA Worthy (5/10)

_______________________________________

Check out my *updated* movie stats here

To see my reviews of Oscar Winning Performances check out this link

To see my reviews of all Oscar Best Picture Winners click here (now complete)

Here is a link to my movie index A-Z