Edison Reviews
If I credited you incorrectly, please email me, and I apologize! I'll fix it gladly.
Michael Rechtshaffen
Bottom line: Despite all the star wattage, this
is one dim bulb of a B-movie.
TORONTO -- Recalling those golden days of the Golan Globus era,
"Edison" is a star-studded dud of a B-picture populated with corrupt
politicians, rogue psycho cops, noble newspaper reporters and enough posturing
to start up a chiropractic clinic.
Although writer-director David Burke probably intended for this clenched-jawed
noir thriller to be taken reasonably seriously, all the stilted, hard-boiled
dialogue provoked many a titter at the Toronto International Film Festival,
where it was selected as the official closing film.
Coming after the screenings of so many high-profile, awards-season contenders,
it would seem like an odd choice, but given a cast that includes Morgan Freeman,
Kevin Spacey, LL Cool J, Dylan McDermott, Cary Elwes and a nonsinging,
nondancing Justin Timberlake in his feature acting debut, it probably made
perfect sense to the party planners.
For most everyone else, this Millennium Films presentation's domestic best bet
likely will be as a DVD rental, though those big names alone will ensure
international interest.
The picture is set in the shiny metropolis of Edison (played by an undisguised
Vancouver), where crime is handled by FRAT (First Response Assault &
Tactical), a testosterone-injected elite police unit that doesn't necessarily
play things by the rule book.
Exhibit A is Sgt. Francis Lazerov (Dylan McDermott), the sort of quintessential
dirty cop who shoots people in the head first and asks questions later, when
he's not busy urinating in indoor parking lots.
His partner, Raphael Deed (LL Cool J) is the conscience of the outfit, but he's
landed himself in a bit of trouble when Josh Pollack, a green but earnest cub
reporter (a green but earnest Timberlake) overhears a suspicious exchange
between Deed and the alleged coke dealer he arrested.
But Moses Ashford (Freeman), his editor at the Heights Herald, a community paper
that's more interested in printing coupons than blowing the lid off deep-seated
civic corruption, insists Pollack needs to do some hard investigative work
before a word is printed. Pollack initially tells him to take a hike, but once
he gets a look at the ex-photojournalist's shiny Pulitzer Prize, he's willing to
risk considerable peril to get the story.
Writer-director Burke, whose extensive TV credits include "Crime
Story" and "Wiseguy," evidently was going for a kind of steely
"Serpico"/"Chinatown" vibe, but the script keeps tripping
over piles of good cop/bad cop cliches.
While Freeman always has that envious knack of making a silk purse out of a
sow's ear, the rest of the cast has a tougher time trying to chisel all that
self-consciously verbose dialogue off the page and make it their own.
With the exception of the Freeman-Timberlake storyline, everybody seems to be in
a different movie -- Spacey's, for example, lasts about all of five minutes --
and though cinematographer Francis Kenny attempts to provide a unifying gloss,
"Edison" ends up generating as much spark as a summer brownout.
Edison
Millennium Films
Millennium Films presents a Randall Emmett/George Furla production of a VIP
Medienfonds 3/Nu Image co-production in association with Rising Star
Credits: Director-screenwriter: David Burke; Producers: Randall Emmett, George
Furla, Boaz Davidson, John Thompson; Executive producers: Avi Lerner, Danny
Dimbort, Trevor Short, Andreas Schmid, Andreas Grosch; Director of photography:
Francis Kenny; Production designer: Katterina Keith; Editor: Casey O. Rohrs;
Costume designer: Katrina McCarthy; Music: Machine Head. Cast: Ashford: Morgan
Freeman; Wallace: Kevin Spacey; Pollack: Justin Timberlake; Deed: LL Cool J;
Lazerov: Dylan McDermott; Sgt. Tilman: John Heard; Reigert: Cary Elwes; Willow:
Piper Perabo; Maria: Roselyn Sanchez.
No MPAA rating, running time 97 minutes.
Good Night, and Good Luck.
Variety.com
won't have to worry about competition from "Edison," about intrepid
reporters seeking to expose police corruption. Pic bears all the hallmarks of a
Cannon Films action quickie from the mid-1980s. "Edison" should be
coming soon to a cable channel and a video store near you....
Timberlake's Out-Of-Synch Role
NY
Post
September 21, 2005 -- JUSTIN Timberlake is so unconvincing as a crusading
reporter, he could have kept on his Mouseketeer ears, which is how the *NSYNC
singer started in showbiz. Our friend in Toronto, Shinan Govani, went to a
screening of "Edison," co-starring Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey
("his toupee does most of the acting") and reports that the flick
"wears clichés the way Larry King wears suspenders. It prompted more than
a few nervous laughs around me. Like, for instance, when Timberlake barges into
Freeman's house and screams, all bloody murder, 'I'm a good writer!' "
Govani also reports: Timberlake "stayed at the same suite at the same
downtown hotel as Cameron Diaz — just not at the same time! Hours after
Cameron, in town for 'In Her Shoes,' checked out of the suite, Justin moved in.
Not sure if she left a note for him in the Bible in the drawer or not, but it
does tell you something sad about how star-crossed most celebrity couples can be
with their competing schedules, whirlwind travels, separate entourages, etc. Is
it any wonder the Renées and Kennys of the world can't make it work?"
IMDB Reviews
Great movie, 8 August 2005
Author: morethanwords5254 from United States
I don't think the movie was the best ever... however it was really good and it
is now definitely on my "to watch" list. It got me wanting to know
what was going to come up next throughout the whole movie. Sometimes when I'm at
the movies, I look at my watch once or twice to see how much time is left. I
didn't even look at my watch once! Justin's acting is actually pretty cool. I
underestimated him. I thought it was going to be like another performance
similar to Britney's in the "Crossroads," but it wasn't. It was
actually okay. The movie had a lot of funny moments also, which I enjoyed.
Morgan Freeman was hilarious and Spacey was great. Dylan M. did very well in his
role also. A different one than what we normally see, which was very
entertaining as well. Great movie. If I was to pay to watch it during opening
weekend, I would not walk out of there disappointed. I can't wait to buy the DVD
to add to my collection! Great movie!
In a crooked time where there are questions that
can't be answered and demands that go without questioning; who can you trust?,
10 August 2005
Author: George_Langworth from United States
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.
Impressive first for David Burke and Justin
Timberlake!, 9 August 2005
Author: Lefteri Tsoukalas from Greece
Last night me and my friends were lucky enough to catch Edison, which to my
understanding was not even released anywhere yet!! We decided to go to see the
movie after reading that is was Justin Timberlake's first acting performance and
I must say that we were pleasantly surprised. Next to cinematic giants Kevin
Spacey and Morgan Freeman, Timberlake gives a persuasive realization of a
struggling young journalist. The action is great throughout the film. Dylan
McDermott gives a very strong performance as Lazerov, the corrupted cop. This
film is not only for Justin Timberlake's fans but to any one looking for a good
movie experience.
Review/Summary from DDS:
Film Title:
Edison
Programme: VIACOM GALAS
Director: David J. Burke
Country: USA
Year: 2005
Language: English
Time: 97 minutes
Film Types: Colour/35mm
Rating: 18A
SCREENING TIMES:
Saturday, September 17 7:15 PM VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)
Saturday, September 17 8:00 PM ROY THOMSON HALL
Production Company: Millennium/Emmett Furla
Executive Producer: Danny Dimbort, Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Andreas
Grosch, Andrea Schmid
Producer: Boaz Davidson, John Thompson, George Furla, Randall Emmett
Screenplay: David J. Burke
Cinematography: Francis Kenny
Editor: Casey O. Rohrs
Production Designer: Katterina Keith
Sound: Kris Fenske, William Jacobs
Music: Tobias Enhus
Principal Cast: Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, Justin Timberlake, LL Cool
J, Dylan McDermott, Piper Perabo
A gritty, jaw-clenching neo-noir, Edison pulls no punches. Playing out in the
dark, seedy corners of the big city at night, the film hits its mark due in no
small part to a luminous cast: Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Dylan McDermott and
LL Cool J revel in their roles as the tantalizingly shady citizens of a
crime-ridden American Everytown called Edison. These veterans just radiate
elegant confidence.
Hollywood newcomer Justin Timberlake more than holds his own in the midst of
these silver screen giants. He plays Joshua Pollack, an ethical-to-a-fault cub
journalist who takes on an entire unit of corrupt cops, appropriately called
F.R.A.T. Grappling with the intricacies of justice and the excesses of those who
believe they are above its reach, Joshua wrestles with complex moral decisions
after his writer girlfriend (Piper Perabo) is attacked and hospitalized ? and he
must finally pitch himself into the middle of the action.
Director David J. Burke sets up an intriguing dichotomy between legality and
justice, positioning every character somewhere in the shadowy space between
those two poles, recalling classic noir films like Touch of Evil and The Big
Heat. Freeman makes an unsympathetic role remarkably human as Joshua?s weary,
boozy editor, while Spacey is marvellously enigmatic as the jaded investigator
for the district attorney. A scathing McDermott (in a role that couldn?t be more
different from his turn in The Mistress of Spices, also playing at the Festival)
is downright terrifying as an idealistic cop turned into a villainous mercenary
by too many years in the trenches. LL Cool J (also appearing at the Festival in
Slow Burn) steals scenes as a F.R.A.T. boy who must decide whether to forego the
protection of the unit for a clear conscience and the love of a good woman. The
sum total is a searing, soaring thriller in which good, however compromised,
eventually does prevail. And justice here takes on the guise of a sweet,
blue-eyed kid from Tennessee.
David J. Burke is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina. He obtained a bachelor?s
degree in theatre arts from Monmouth University in New Jersey. As a
screenwriter, he worked on the television series ?Wiseguy? (for which he also
directed episodes), the television film Women vs. Men (02), and the television
pilots ?Almost Midnight,? ?Big City,? ?Vida Caliente? and ?Bramel & Steps.?
He has been an executive producer for the television series ?SeaQuest DSV? and
?Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.? Edison 05) is his feature film writing
and directing debut.
As for the movie ....
It was great! I am going to spoil a great bunch of it so do not read if you
don't want it ruined!
First off I know everyone wants to know about Justin's performance and I was
literally blown away. This is not the same kid from Model Behaviour. He truly
has talent and within the first twenty minutes everyone was rooting for Joshua
Pollack and not Justin Timberlake. It was as if he wasn't even Justin anymore
which was very cool. In my head I was cheering for Josh the entire time. He
worked very well with the other actors and just gave a genuine performance. So
three cheers for our boy!
The basic story of the film.
F.R.A.T (First Response And Tactical) is crooked and they run Edison, a town
which is suppoed to be new and improved. It turns out the cops are killing
people and covering it up. Laserov (Dylan McDermott), a cruel member of F.R.A.T
kills a young dealer and makes his partner take the blame to save his own life.
Laserov and Deed are forced to testify in the boys trial to get him a lesser
sentence. Joshua Pollack is in the courtroom and sees the boy thank Deed and
wonders why on earth he wound thank someone for testifying. He begins to
investigate despite the dangerous nature of F.R.A.T. Joshua knows something is
up with F.R.A.T and figures that they have their hands in some crime. When
Joshua tries to pitch the story to his boss Ashford (Morgan Freeman) he tells
Joshua he doesn't have enough evidence and he's too lazy to get it, so he fires
him. Josh goes home to his girlfriend Willow to lick his wounds but she tells
him that she agrees with his boss, he needs more.
So Joshua begins to visit Ashford at night to show him the new evidence he
begins to obtain. 911 calls that were never made, fake evidence, suspect with no
criminal record etc. While all this is going F.R.A.T continues with their
murderous ways and Deed (LL Cool J) looks very uncomfortable with all of the
stealing/murdering that his going on.
Ashford and Justin head to the DA once they have collected a suffcient amount of
evidence and want them to investigate it further. Little do they know that one
of the two they are talking to works with F.R.A.T the other, Wallace (Kevin
Spacey) wants to help.
Joshua and Willow head out to a club to dance on a Friday night and end up
running into Deed and his girlfriend. Deed proposes to his girlfriend at the
club but when Joshua sees him he fears that they are following him. When he and
Willow run down the street they are attacked and Willow ends up in a coma
The entire scene is very sad, Deed runs up and sees whats has happened and
calls 911.
Deed visits Josh while he is unconcious and Ashford asks him why he is there.
Deed simply asks Ashford to tell Josh that he had nothing to do with the attack.
He also tells Ashford to get Josh the hell out of there and somewhere to hide
while he recovers. Josh stays at the family home of Wallace who is now helping
Josh and Ashford to uncover information on F.R.A.T. Laserov heads to the home
and attempts to kill Josh, who sticks grass into Laserov's gas tank and blows
his car up while Laserov is still in the house. Josh then rides a bike to town.
He is picked up by Ashford and Wallace who say that it is just now getting
dangerous.
Things pick up a notch as Deed begins to give Josh information on F.R.A.T the
weapons and money that they steal. Laserov demands to know if Deed has been
talking and when the two fight the head of F.R.A.T, Tilman kills Laserov, not
only because he is lose canon but because now he can get away with it. Tilman
sees that Deed is helping Josh and tells Deed to end all of this investigation
now and kill Josh.
Deed winds up killing Wu who is sent to kill Josh and saving Josh instead. The
two of them race off and have the biggest shoot out with F.R.A.T known to man,
it's seriously like a half an hour. Deed basically kills them all of and when
Tilman grabs Josh and says he will kill him Deed tells Josh to duck and shoots
Tilman.
So F.R.A.T is no more, Wallace makes it look like Deed and Josh were never at
the scene of the shot out and life gets better. Deed's fiance Maria ends up
pregnante and Willow comes out of her coma.
That's the long and short of it! Overall great film and I will definately see it
again. Even my friend Mandy who isn't a big JT fan was wowed by him as was the
entire audience.
There is a lot of violence in this movie, I don't really know what to compare it
to. It is very brutal and honest.
Here's my review in case anyone cares..it's
long and maybe gives a bit more...
So the story begins at some festival of some sort in the city of Edison. LL Cool
J (HOTTIE!) narrates about the city and how there was a plan for a "Better
Edison". We then see shooting break out and everyone screams and falls to
the floor (an audience and some cheerleaders). Guys in camoflauge gear with huge
guns shoot randomly all over and we see LL Cool J (Deed) and Dylan Mcdermott (Lazerov)
come on to the scene and start shooting the "bad guys". This is where
we get a taste of the "bad cops" because Lazerov then tracks down the
last gunman and the gunman takes a cheerleader hostage. Lazerov then shoots
THROUGH the cheerleader, kills the gunman and proceeds to say to the cheerleader
"that bad man won't hurt you again". { my thought: Hello @#%$, you're
the one that shot me}.
I forget what happens next..but I believe it was just dialogue between Deed and
Lazerov characters about FRAT (First response and tactical) which is the police
group they work for in the movie. We learn they never get married and are
completely under the control of John Heards character Tilman.
Next we seem them at a crack house (LL and Dylan) and they proceed to raid the
house and take the drugs and money. Lazerov tells Deed to make his first
kill..telling him it gets easier. Caos ensues and Lazerov kills one of the guys
and then questions the other asking him if he's related to the deceased and then
tells him what his story will be about what happened there that night. Lazerov
tels the guy that he WILL tell the cops that he stabbed his friend because he
attacked him etc.
Next we're at the court house and Deed is on the stand and the prosecutor asks
him if the defendant (man that didn't kill his friend but was told to) if he
said anything when he killed his buddy. Deed says that he said Jesus. He's asked
to clarify and he goes "he said, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." He's then
excused from the stand and as he walks past the defendant, the defendants says
"Thank you" and he's holding his mom's hand.
This is our first glimpse of Justin (Joshua Pollack). He looks confused when the
defendant says "Thank you" and follows Deeds out of the court room
where Lazerov is and asks him why the defendant said "Thank you".
Pollack is brushed off by Deeds and Lazerov.
We then see Pollack in the news room where he's typing up his story for his boss
Ashford. After sending a copy to Ashfords computer, he confronts Pollock about
his story and what he's getting at with the "Thank you" part. Pollack
defends his story and then backs down when Ashford tells him there is no story.
Pollack then mutters under his breath as Ashford leaves and says that it's
"fraud" and he gets fired.
I believe this is where we see Deeds going home to his girlfriend and we see him
with and engagement ring, obviously struggling with the rules of FRAT and
wanting to marry her. He is then asked to go for "inspection" which
means he has to go get laid by slutty girls thanks to the instruction of his
boss Tilman.
Pollack goes to his girlfriend and she looks over the story and agrees with
Ashford, there's nothing there. Pollack is determined that there is a story
there so he goes to Ashfords house at night and disturbs him. Ashford tells
Pollock that he needs more that he has to go interview the defendant and Pollock
doesn't want to, he's scared. Ashford goes.. "oh so this is about @#%$
then" -> best line EVAH! hehe.
So Pollock goes to interview the defendants mother at first, but she's had a
stroke and looks near death. Afterwards he goes to the prison to question the
defendant and the tells him he's sorry about his mother. The defendant freaks
out and tells Pollock that he'll tell him anything if he gives a message to his
mother. The Defendant (sorry guys I forget his name if it was mentioned) tells
Pollock that Lazerus shot his friend and that the story was a set up.
Pollock then goes back to Ashford and tells him this and Ashford tells him that
he can't just go on what 1 prisoner says, he has to get more. Pollock then does
some more investigating on FRAT. I think this is where Ashford takes Pollock to
see Detective Wallace (Kevin Spacey) and the head of the "Better
Edison" group Reigert (Cary Elwes) ..I'm not sure though. So Wallace and
Reigert become aware of what Pollock is doing.
Then we see Pollock take his girlfriend Willow (Piper Perabo) to a club to dance
and we later see Deeds also take his girlfriend to the same club. Deeds ends up
proposing to his girlfriend on the dance floor and the crowd claps and Pollock
makes eye contact with Deeds. Pollock gets scared (because of all his
investigating) and runs out of the club with his girlfriend. They walk down the
street and they are attacked and shot. Deeds is in the club and hears this and
runs out to help Pollock and Willow. Deeds sees its Lazerus and another Frat guy
that have attacked the couple.
Deeds calls 911 and gets help for them but it looks like Willow is dead. They're
rushed to the hospital and they work on willow as we see Pollock in the other
room. Ashford comes to see Pollock and as he's visting Deeds shows up and tells
him that it wasn't his fault. We then see a "nurse" who is actually a
girl that works for Frat show up with a knife or needle (can't recall) obviously
to take out Pollock but when she sees Deeds she runs off. Deeds then tells
Ashford that it isn't safe for Pollock to be here.
Ashford takes Pollock out of the hospital to a safe house (detective Wallace's
family farm) and tells him to stay put. Tilman then gets nervous and he's
talking to the fake nurse girl about what went down etc and Lazerus is outside
his office listening. Detective Wallace then begins the task of taking down Frat
and Tilman gets nervous.
There's another scene here I'm missing..sorry...me=old head
We then see Pollock at Wallace's family farm and he notices Lazerus pulling up.
He goes to hide as Lazerus searches for him. Pollock manages to duck him then
gets out of the house on a bike. He puts grass in Lazerus' gas tank and lights
it on fire, blowing up his car. Pollock continues on his bike and magically a
hat appears on his head (yes folks it does..hehe).
Lazerus gets back to the Frat office and Tilman confronts Lazerus in the parking
lot and tells him that he's going to be on desk duty. Here we see the real scary
relationship between Tilman and Lazerus and realize how much Tilman controls
him. Just a note: I have to say Dylan SHINES in this movie and this scene is
AMAZING!!
Wallace and Ashford try to call Pollock at the farm and get no answer, they go
to look for him and find him at a gas station in the phone booth. They realize
that this thing has gone too far and they need someone on the inside to help
them, namely Deeds.
Pollock phones Deeds to meet him and Pollock pleads with Deeds to help him.
Deeds is reluctant because he wants to protect his girlfriend.
Tilman has then had it and in the Frat office, Lazerus goes nuts so Tilman takes
him out with a bullet between the eyes. Deeds freaks out and realizes they must
be stopped. He goes and gets information for Pollock and makes arrangements to
bring down Frat.
Pollock nearly has his story done when he gets a visit from one of the Frat guys
who is obviously there to take him out, he gets shocked when Deeds is behind the
other Frat guy and takes him out saving Pollock. Deeds and Pollock proceed to
take the dead body to Deeds car, where there are guns in the trunk. As they do,
they notice there are more Frat guys and both Deeds and Pollock grab guns.
Chasing ensues and they end up at the Frat
warehouse and Deeds kills all the frat guys (there's lots of action here..brain
splatters etc..Pollock actually crushes a guy and his brains splatter). Then it
comes down to Tilman holding Pollock hostage with a gun to his head spewing off
nonsense and Deeds finally tells Pollock to "DUCK" and he kills Tilman.
Wallace and Ashford then come to the scene as well as Reigart and they tell
Reigart that he better shut down the "Better Edison" project as it's
associated with FRAT (money's funded it etc). Wallace then erases evidence of
either Pollock or Deeds being there and Pollock (Justin) does the end monolgue
where he tells of the end of Frat, Better Edison, how Willow came out of her
coma and how Deeds found a new job and his wife was pregnant (oh yah..I forgot
about the scene where Deeds gets married and Polock comes to the ceremony where
Deeds gives him the disk of the information as on another rooftop it's seen by a
FRAT guy..sorry!)
Bah humbug:
I saw this thing at the star-studded Toronto Festival screening, and said
screening marked the first time in longer than I can honestly remember that I
actually started to fall asleep during a movie. 'Edison' plays so flat,
uninspired and unimpactful that you wonder why you're bothering to sit through
it when you could be, like, taking a dump or something. It's that bad. The lone
private financier, who was introduced before the screening, must be kicking
himself about opening his pocket book for this one. Let's hope for the sake of
this lone poor soul that this film, which reeks so abundantly of
straight-to-video cop thriller, can find a distributor to pick it up for a
theatrical release. Even though it certainly does not deserve it.
The story takes place in the fictional city of
Edison - a young hungry reporter is trying to write an expose piece that will
take down the city's corrupt elite police force, called F.R.A.T. (I'm not
kidding - it's like an effing child wrote this script.) I won't bother with
anything else, because the details are negligeable. You will be too distracted
by the utterly ridiculous-looking jet-black Wayne Newton wig that Kevin Spacey
wears throughout the film, and you will be preoccupied with all these constant,
nagging questions, like:
- Why is Justin Timberlake in this movie?
- Why do he and his fictional girlfriend have so many candles in their kitchen?
- Why is LL Cool J scowling like that in every single scene?
...not to mention all the technical questions like:
- Why is the editing so bad?
- Why does every shot of the city have a lame-ass time lapse thing with the
clouds?
- Oh my - what? - did they just use a Pan & Scan effect - on the actual
print?
...and especially the ever-present, all-encompassing questions like:
- What the hell is actually supposed to be happening in this particular scene?
- How the hell did they get Morgan Freeman to be in this?
- Why am I still watching?
(The answer to the latter of which being, in my case, that I was in the middle
of the row and could not get out.)
Oh, forget it. This movie isn't even worth the words I've already wasted on it.
I'll quit while I'm ahead. Just don't say I didn't warn you.
Movie
City News
David Poland
Fortunately for international relations, Madame Moreau will not be forced to sit
through the closing night obscenity, Edison.
Perhaps the producer made a $1 million gift to TIFF to build the new building
and Noah Cowan figured that no one would see closing night anyway and, if they
did, they would drink so much afterwards that they might forget. “You’re
getting sleepy... sleepy...”
I think Revolver remains the worst film at this festival on pretension points.
But Edison is barely competent. The only thing the filmmakers clearly know how
to do well is to write large checks with which they can entice top flight actors
to spend a few days on a horrible film with a horrible script that is the
feature equivalent of doing a commercial in the Far East since no one will ever
see the whole movie. Little did they know that TIFF would allow this stinker
into the festival, much less make it closing night.
Perhaps we should assume that Kevin Spacey’s hairpiece was meant to look like
a patent leather Pez dispenser hair helmet... or that every time Justin
“Couldn’t Act His Way Out Of A Music Video” Timberlake come to Morgan
Freeman’s apartment for another magical lecture, he finds another surprise
that legitimizes Freeman’s character (thank God they called it quits after the
Pulitzer)... or maybe we aren’t meant to notice that the writer/director stole
one of the final scenes directly from 48 Hours (without the sense of humor, of
course).
The sad part is that David J Burke has had a terrific career as a TV writer. He
can write. But not this time.
Leonard Klady:
Closing nights are harder to recall but last year it was Jiminy Glick in
LaLaWood and I also recall Seven Years in Tibit among past finales. This year's
offering is Edison, a yarn about bad cops and a young crusader journalist that
brings them down. The cast includes Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Justin
Timberlake and LL Cool J and the only reasonable explanation for its presence as
Toronto's 2005 swan song would seem to me selection by lotto. It's an
unremittingly hackneyed effort with the sort of serious bent that elicits
unintentional laughter. Ninety minutes of black leader fares better by
comparison and one has to wonder whether a monumental lapse in judgment or a big
pay off contributed to its high profile inclusion.
Film review: 'Edison' unintentionally funny
Michael Rechtshaffen for Reuters/ Hollywood Reporter
TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - Recalling those golden days of the Golan Globus
era, "Edison" is a star-studded dud of a B-picture populated with
corrupt politicians, rogue psycho cops, noble newspaper reporters and enough
posturing to start up a chiropractic clinic.
Although writer-director David Burke probably intended for this clenched-jawed
noir thriller to be taken reasonably seriously, all the stilted, hard-boiled
dialogue provoked many a titter at the Toronto International Film Festival,
where it was selected as the official closing film Saturday.
Coming after the screenings of so many high-profile, awards-season contenders,
it would seem like an odd choice, but given a cast that includes Morgan Freeman,
Kevin Spacey, LL Cool J, Dylan McDermott, Cary Elwes and a nonsinging,
nondancing Justin Timberlake in his feature acting debut (apart from an
uncredited cameo in "On the Line"), it probably made perfect sense to
the party planners.
For most everyone else, this Millennium Films presentation's domestic best bet
likely will be as a DVD rental, though those big names alone will ensure
international interest.
The picture is set in the shiny metropolis of Edison (played by an undisguised
Vancouver), where crime is handled by FRAT (First Response Assault &
Tactical), a testosterone-injected elite police unit that doesn't necessarily
play things by the rule book.
Exhibit A is Sgt. Francis Lazerov (Dylan McDermott), the sort of quintessential
dirty cop who shoots people in the head first and asks questions later, when
he's not busy urinating in indoor parking lots.
His partner, Raphael Deed (LL Cool J) is the conscience of the outfit, but he's
landed himself in a bit of trouble when Josh Pollack, a green but earnest cub
reporter (a green but earnest Timberlake) overhears a suspicious exchange
between Deed and the alleged coke dealer he arrested.
But Moses Ashford (Freeman), his editor at the Heights Herald, a community paper
that's more interested in printing coupons than blowing the lid off deep-seated
civic corruption, insists Pollack needs to do some hard investigative work
before a word is printed. Pollack initially tells him to take a hike, but once
he gets a look at the ex-photojournalist's shiny Pulitzer Prize, he's willing to
risk considerable peril to get the story.
Writer-director Burke, whose extensive TV credits include "Crime
Story" and "Wiseguy," evidently was going for a kind of steely
"Serpico"/"Chinatown" vibe, but the script keeps tripping
over piles of good cop/bad cop cliches.
While Freeman always has that envious knack of making a silk purse out of a
sow's ear, the rest of the cast has a tougher time trying to chisel all that
self-consciously verbose dialogue off the page and make it their own.
With the exception of the Freeman-Timberlake storyline, everybody seems to be in
a different movie -- Spacey's, for example, lasts about all of five minutes --
and though cinematographer Francis Kenny attempts to provide a unifying gloss,
"Edison" ends up generating as much spark as a summer brownout.
Toronto
Film Festival 2005
Film Title: Edison
Programme: VIACOM GALAS
Director: David J. Burke
Country: USA
Year: 2005
Language: English
Time: 97 minutes
Film Types: Colour/35mm
Rating: 18A
SCREENING TIMES:
Saturday, September 17 7:15 PM VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)
Saturday, September 17 8:00 PM ROY THOMSON HALL
Production Company: Millennium/Emmett Furla
Executive Producer: Danny Dimbort, Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Andreas Grosch,
Andrea Schmid
Producer: Boaz Davidson, John Thompson, George Furla, Randall Emmett
Screenplay: David J. Burke
Cinematography: Francis Kenny
Editor: Casey O. Rohrs
Production Designer: Katterina Keith
Sound: Kris Fenske, William Jacobs
Music: Tobias Enhus
Principal Cast: Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, Justin Timberlake, LL Cool J,
Dylan McDermott, Piper Perabo
A gritty, jaw-clenching neo-noir,
Edison
pulls no punches. Playing out in the dark, seedy corners of the big city at
night, the film hits its mark due in no small part to a luminous cast: Morgan
Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Dylan McDermott and LL Cool J revel in their roles as the
tantalizingly shady citizens of a crime-ridden American Everytown called Edison.
These veterans just radiate elegant confidence.
Hollywood newcomer Justin Timberlake more than holds his own in the midst of
these silver screen giants. He plays Joshua Pollack, an ethical-to-a-fault cub
journalist who takes on an entire unit of corrupt cops, appropriately called
F.R.A.T. Grappling with the intricacies of justice and the excesses of those who
believe they are above its reach, Joshua wrestles with complex moral decisions
after his writer girlfriend (Piper Perabo) is attacked and hospitalized – and
he must finally pitch himself into the middle of the action.
Director David J. Burke sets up an intriguing dichotomy between legality and
justice, positioning every character somewhere in the shadowy space between
those two poles, recalling classic noir films like
Touch of Evil
and
The Big Heat.
Freeman makes an unsympathetic role remarkably human as Joshua’s weary, boozy
editor, while Spacey is marvellously enigmatic as the jaded investigator for the
district attorney. A scathing McDermott (in a role that couldn’t be more
different from his turn in
The Mistress of Spices
, also playing at the Festival) is downright terrifying as an idealistic cop
turned into a villainous mercenary by too many years in the trenches. LL Cool J
(also appearing at the Festival in
Slow Burn
) steals scenes as a F.R.A.T. boy who must decide whether to forego the
protection of the unit for a clear conscience and the love of a good woman. The
sum total is a searing, soaring thriller in which good, however compromised,
eventually does prevail. And justice here takes on the guise of a sweet,
blue-eyed kid from Tennessee.
David J. Burke is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina. He obtained a
bachelor’s degree in theatre arts from Monmouth University in New Jersey. As a
screenwriter, he worked on the television series “Wiseguy” (for which he
also directed episodes), the television film
Women vs. Men
(02), and the television pilots “Almost Midnight,” “Big City,” “Vida
Caliente” and “Bramel & Steps.” He has been an executive producer for
the television series “SeaQuest DSV” and “Law & Order: Special Victims
Unit.”
Edison
05) is his feature film writing and directing debut.
At the Bridge In LA
JTFan2005
"Hey all...I just got back from this screening at the Bridge as well...
The movie...is not great. Overall, a cheap action thriller that looks more
suited for like Showtime or some other cable network. (It kind of has the look of a
TV movie) The budget was obviously not very big, as it just looks
really...cheap!
The story isn't the best, some of the dialogue IS laughable, and some characters
aren't developed enough (Piper Perabo's for instance), BUT...and all you JT fans
will be pleased with this -
he's pretty good! I was surprised, I was expecting him to be pretty bad actually
(even though I am a fan of his). But he surprised me...he seemed pretty natural
right away. There's only a chunk towards the end where he's not that great, but
overall, pretty impressive. He ain't no Sean Penn but could definitely hold his
own against the other heavyweights (Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, Dylan
McDermott, etc.) in the movie. LL Cool J had a way bigger part than I expected,
I actually think he may be more of the lead of this film than Justin. Did you
all know that Roselyn Sanchez is in it? I had no idea, so was surprised to see
her (pretty small part though). Also, Cary Elwes (Princess Bride, Saw) is in it
as well, which I also wasn't aware of.
Overall I rated the movie as "good" although I think I really thought
it was only "fair" (but I want this to get distributed for Justin's
perfomance alone!). The audience seemed to enjoy it, although there wasn't a
huge applause at the end (pretty young, urban crowd). I'd give it a 6.5/10. Hope
it doesn't go straight to video, although if it does, I understand why...
P.S. For those of you wondering, JT has no "sex scene" or anything
like that...that scene you've seen already with him and Piper is like a quick
second."
At the Bridge in LA
Josie623us
"O.k. Everyone here's my review of the
movie. First off i just want to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE JUSTIN AND this is
just my thoughts and opinion. A few others and I clapped when we saw his name in
the opening credits, and I was very happy to see that I wasn't the only JT fan
there. The movie has a really good opening scene and LL Cool J has a main role
in the film, bigger than I had expected. Right away I know everyone is wondering
about the sex scene because I was waiting for it. Let me tell you I was so
disappointed that there wasn't any. It's literally a two second shot of Justin
rolling over Piper and that's it. Now the movie it self over all wasn't bad and
it definitely wasn't a "Crossroads" flop; ButIi had expected so much
more. Justin's performance in the beginning I thought was a little shaky because
he kind of kept changing his persona and then as the film progressed it just
started getting more cheesy.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE Justin to death but literally as I was watching this movie I
was thinking to myself at times, "why Justin, I know you could do so much
better." I felt embarrassed for him at times
. His character seemed like some little prissy boy who is always scared. If that's
the way the character was supposed to be, then he did a great job of playing him,
but I don't think that's the way he was supposed to be because it didn't seem
like that in the beginning of the movie. Justin just seemed like he was getting
into the emotion of the scene, but not really acting in them. I have to say that
Justin definitely didn't ruin the movie on his own. A LOT of the acting was very
bad and the movie itself seemed very low budget and cheap. I really don't know
if this movie will even be released because I don't think it's going to really
get great reviews, but it would be a great cable movie. If Justin gets more
practice I'm sure he would be able to stand up to Morgan Freeman in the future
because in this movie Morgan completely over-shined him. Justin held up pretty
well to Kevin Spacey and the other actors except for like I said Morgan Freeman
and surprisingly, LL Cool J.
I have to say though that when I saw Justin dancing in one scene my heart just
drop and I couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face. Now I'm not spoiling
the movie but its not like a real dance scene or anything but I just thought he
was so cute. A lot of the people in my theatre were black and Hispanic and there
were all different ages and a lot of them were shocked when Justin got beat up,
but besides that, a lot of them were laughing and and saying stupid comments at
some of his scenes. I hope that if this movie gets released that it doesn't hurt
Justin in any way because it seems like he worked really hard on this movie. I
give this movie overall about a 7 out of 10 because of Morgan and just because i
love to watch Justin. Feel free to ask me any questions, I was going to do a
complete movie run through, but iI didn't know if some of you might get mad
because then it would be spoiled."