He had everything and wanted nothing. He learned that he had nothing and wanted everything. He saved the world and then it shattered. The path to enlightenment is as sharp and narrow as a razor’s edge.
Cast:
- Bill Murray as Larry Darrell
- Theresa Russell as Sophie MacDonald
- Catherine Hicks as Isabel Bradley
- Denholm Elliott as Elliott Templeton
- James Keach as Gray Maturin
- Peter Vaughan as Mackenzie
- Brian Doyle-Murray as Piedmont
1984 memories
I don’t recall this movie at all. In October of 1984 I was looking for more Halloween and horror themed movies, not a drama with Bill Murray about World War I.
Let’s watch The Razor’s Edge for the first time in 2024…
40th Anniversary Re-watch
The Razor’s Edge is an interesting movie. Bill Murray stars as Larry Darrell, a man who joins the war effort (World War I) in Europe. He is assigned as an ambulance driver in the war and experiences the horrors of death and constant war.
After the war Larry suffers from guilt and abandons his high society life in an effort to find his true meaning. He moves to Paris, takes odd jobs and spends his time reading philosophy trying to find his himself. One of his co-workers suggests Larry travel to India to gain a new perspective.
In India Larry joins a Buddhist monastery and learns the from the monks.
Larry eventually returns to Paris and runs into his old friend Elliott and Larry’s old life slowly reemerges. His ex-girlfriend, Isabel, who he left after the war is now married to his best friend Gray.
Larry is reintroduced to a friend Sophie who spiraled into depression, alcohol and drugs after her husband and son were killed in a car accident. Larry tries to help Sophie get sober but she eventually dies due to Isabel’s interference.
Larry confronts Isabel ans she admits to driving Sophie back into drugs and offers a lackluster apology.
Larry says goodbye to Isabel and decides to return to America.
The concept of the movie is good, a man distraught over the effects of war wants to find the meaning of his life. The movie does tends to drag on in places and is entirely too long at 129 minutes. But overall I enjoyed this movie more than I thought I would.
Murray did an excellent job in a drama, far removed from his normal comical characters. There is a some of his humor and dry wit in the script but it is fitting to the character and not distracting. Murray also delivers a farewell speech to a fallen comrade, the speech was written for his friend John Belushi and also given at Belushi’s funeral.
Bill Murray and his friend, director John Byrum wrote the screenplay (based on the novel) while on a cross country trip. Byrum shopped the screenplay around but no studio would buy it. At the time Dan Aykroyd was trying to get Murray to star in a little film called Ghostbusters.
Favorite Line:
The pathway to salvation is as narrow and as difficult to walk as a razor’s edge.
Aykroyd suggested to Frank Price, head of Columbia Pictures to make a deal with Murray … fund Murray’s passion project, The Razor’s Edge in return for Murray starring in Ghostbusters. The deal was made.
If I saw The Razor’s Edge in 1984, I most likely would have been bored and wrote it off. However, in 2024 I found it highly enjoyable, although flawed. Murray is great in the role and I would have liked to see him in more dramas throughout his career.
If you haven’t seen The Razor’s Edge I’d recommend it, but only slightly. It’s a good movie but too long.
The Razor’s Edge was released on 19 October 1984. It was a massive box office bomb making $6.6 million on a $13 million budget.
Did you watch The Razor’s Edge? If so let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on X(Twitter). The main Geekster channel is @GeeksterMedia and I’m @MileHighSamurai You can also find me on Bluesky @MileHighSamurai
6/10 stars
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