Edison

SCRIPT REVIEW/ INFO

Credit: UGO

Edison, once a virtual cesspool, is now a vibrant city -- the kind of pristine, prosperous metropolis anybody would feel blessed to live and work in. But at the heart of this "showroom clean" city is a hidden political engine that is dirty and corrupt. David Burke's story introduces an elite police force, FRAT (First Response Assault & Tactical), a shoot-first & never-answer-questions team willing to kill in cold blood to avoid a trial; and steal dirty money to fund their own operation. They're a group of mostly corrupt and immoral men, led by an even more corrupt and callous Captain. One man, however, has a spark of conscience, a ray of hope in his life. Officer Raphael Deed - who does what he's told, but clearly knows right from wrong. The story follows a young journalist, Josh Pollack, who begins investigating the FRAT unit after witnessing an open and shut trial that raises suspicions of foul play. Pollack writes for a small paper that prints mostly coupons, working under a rather bitter veteran editor, Moses Ashford, who tries to brush off the story, then talk Pollack out of perusing it when it becomes a dangerous endeavor; but he eventually helps his young protég&eatue; chase the potentially Pulitzer-winning story. They enlist the help of one of the city's top detectives, Levon Wallace, who must work behind the D.A.'s back to help the reporters investigate the corruption, which likely extends to the detective's own office. As Pollack uncovers more and more of the truth, things become dangerous for he and his girlfriend. Meanwhile, officer Deed begins to realize what he's in the middle of, and how much he regrets the path he's taken. His own girlfriend is trying to set him straight, her family offering him a normal job and life, but he's convinced he's already in to deep, and now with the young reporter getting too close, his past may be catching up to him, and he has to make the most difficult decisions of all about his future. Will he do as he's told, or tell his story and "do in" the FRAT unit?

Burke's script is a real ensemble piece, with no less than four lead characters and more than half a dozen strong supporting parts. Deed is the strongest, and gets much of the spotlight, providing a voice-over narration throughout the story. The first act of the script is very fast paced; Burke's writing paving the way for a very stylish, fluid film. His dialogue is sharp, exceptionally well written and, along with the characters he's created, the strongest part of Edison by far. It's no wonder this project has attracted so many A-list actors, any high profile performer looking for a solid part would jump at the opportunity to take on any of these characters. The down-side is that this mishmash of genres and themes from numerous other films and TV shows is a bit to familiar, the plot and story offering very little that we haven't seen before. It's a shame it didn't come earlier, because it's suffering just a bit from bad timing. One couldn't say that it's too little too late, however, because it's not too little. Though the situation and story have been done, they haven't often been done quite as well as Edison may offer. With the unique characters and style of the script, we're going to see something that's a strange mix of films like L.A. Confidential, Copland and even Serpico. Burke's experience writing for TV cop shows like Law & Order: SVU comes through in the script, and is probably where his expertise with working with complex, well developed characters originates. It's clear he did a lot of work on these characters before the story came together, and it has paid off.

It's difficult to read a script already armed with the knowledge of who has been cast and be objective, but the placement of actors in the project, currently filming in Vancouver, seems right on the money. LL Cool J will play Deed, a fact that hasn't been getting much attention in the trade reports and story synopsis released so far, despite his being probably the most crucial character in the story. The best written character in the script, if Cool J pulls it off it will be the biggest accomplishment in his career as an actor so far, a memorable performance and an opportunity he's wise to have jumped on. Morgan Freeman will play Ashford, and Kevin Spacey is Detective Wallace, both parts that should fit like gloves. It's a dream cast, one Burke earned with some great writing, and a team that should help him realize this film's potential and ensure its weaknesses are overshadowed. The only obvious wild card is the casting of Justin Timberlake in his first feature film role. He's a talented young man, who has yet to prove this particular skill. Luckily, this pivotal role in the film is that of a young, talented man yet to prove himself. So, at best, Timberlake could impress the entertainment community and launch an acting career; at worst, by fluke his inexperience may play to the part just enough to pull it off anyway. We'll have to wait and see.

On the page, Edison is a strong film, an impressive piece of work that was bound to attract some big names and get a green light. Fortunate enough to get hold of the directing reigns, David Burke now holds the fate of his first big project in his own hands. If he's as competent a director as he is a screenwriter, keep an eye on his career. Hopefully, whatever he does next, he continues writing.