Edison (2005)

one of my absolute favorites!

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

I got to give it to one super scene in this movie. This is where LLcoolJ walks into the bar/restaurant to have a chat with the reporter. He goes about staring down everyone on his way, wow, he is FRAT and it should scare everyone out of their pants, phew. They must think he is the invincible Terminator back from nowhere.As soon as he sits down by a table and gives a stare at the people nearby they all scram, wow, how intimidating.I'm so scared of this guy that I want to laugh till I die.Of course there are several other pathetic scenes and plot holes which tops what I have mentioned above but I just could not resist writing about that one scene, so scary to even think of it. Did they ever preview this movie before releasing or what ? Probably they did and no one survived the preview and the print was already into circulation.

So this one day, my father decides to rent out this movie from the local movie store. Upon seeing the cover, I begin having doubts about the movie, but with nothing better to do, I decide to watch it.The opening scene with the bank robbery got me hooked. I began liking the trigger happy cop played by McDermott and his good cop partner played by LL Cool J (aka Todd Smith). The movie, it seemed, had a promising start, but all that starts well doesn't always end well. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that McDermott's character is not only psychopathic, but also unscrupulous and corrupt. And somebody, outside of the police, takes notice of this. During the trial of an innocent man, who has been framed by the McDermott and Todd Smith - involuntarily by Smith; just so we are clear - the two men come to the attention of a young, aspiring reporter. This young, fiery man is none other than Justin Timberlake. Timberlake figures there is something wrong with the trial and decides to embark on a journalistic mission to uncover the truth behind it - mainly due to the urging of his boss, Morgan Freeman, who also plays his mentor and edifies him on the very principals of good journalism. Along the way, Spacey (another good cop), decides to join in on this mission and it starts becoming clearer that the division that employs Smith and McDermott, FRAT is actually a nefarious paramilitary force, with a hidden agenda. Even Smith, being continually attacked by his conscience, decides to help Timberlake uncover some very nasty truths. The movie, which isn't exactly flawless, actually manages to be decent and even shows potential to be good, but the ending is what really results in its undoing. Seriously, if the movie could be made 10 minutes shorter or the ending is drastically altered, I have no doubt that it would actually receive some acclaim from critics. Overall, the acting by the cast is good and script is well written, but like I mentioned above, the ending is what really kills it.

Upon its completion in 2005, Edison (alternatively titled Edison Force) endured a torturous limbo existence. Following a disastrous reception at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival as well as terrible test screening reactions, its theatrical release was jettisoned and it headed straight to DVD. Similar to Uwe Boll's BloodRayne, one will likely glance at the cast list for this movie and wonder why such big-name stars agreed to appear in it. Sure, witnessing the likes of LL Cool J and Justin Timberlake in this type of direct-to-DVD action fodder is not much of a shock, but when they're placed alongside such respected actors as Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman...one can't help but wonder what the hell happened. Though far more watchable and entertaining than its reception might suggest, Edison remains highly disposable, forgettable and generic. There's nothing wrong with the movie at face value, but it's pure genre stuff, and clearly a paycheck effort for all involved.In the film, Timberlake plays a naïve and ambitious reporter named Pollack whose research for his latest story leads to the discovery of a major scandal. An elite police force in Edison known as F.R.A.T. appears to be corrupt, and the entire justice system seems to be willingly turning a blind eye to the abuses of this unit. When Pollack's life is threatened (along with the life of his girlfriend), he begins working with his editor, a once-famous reporter, and a private detective to bring down F.R.A.T. and everyone behind it.Long-time small-screen scribe David J. Burke makes his writing and directing debut with Edison; a flick which clearly strived to be a sprawling corruption drama in the vein of Chinatown and L.A. Confidential that additionally tries to deliver an important message about the moral responsibilities of journalists. Before diving into this film's innumerable flaws, it must be said that Burke's directorial work is solid. Backed by a reported $25 million budget, the first-time director has crafted a number of exciting set-pieces, and the cinematography is frequently energetic. The score, too, is effective. But the problem is that this movie is a parade of clichés which only clicks on a very basic level. With a loose-cannon antagonist, the hard- ass cop with a good heart who strives to fight against corruption, and Freeman portraying the wise old Pulitzer-winner unsubtly named Moses, the whole enterprise is very familiar, meaning there's not a great deal of suspense. The plotting sorely lacks credibility as well - some of the characters are so inept at covering their tracks that a reporter from a small magazine could pin them to the mat.In terms of action and suspense, Edison flaunts a few decent scenes here and there, but the film as a whole fails to gel. This is mainly due to Justin Timberlake, whose acting one can't help but snicker at. The inexperienced actor is saddled with the enormous responsibility of carrying the film's dramatic weight, and the movie was almost certainly designed as a stepping stone for Timberlake up to star status, but the singer is not compelling or believable enough. Also, he's consistently outshone by his co-stars, most notably Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman, who, while phoning in their performances, are still Kevin Spacey and Morgan Freeman! Timberlake may get better as an actor with time, but he's completely wrong for this role. Added to this, Edison is plagued with too many utterly inane moments, including a scene where Pollack escapes the bad guys on a bicycle and a sequence in which Morgan Freeman dances in his dressing gown.At first, Edison is bursting with promise. Despite some underwhelming acting, the conspiracy plot is engaging and the film does a fine job of making us curious. From there, Burke decides to wrap everything up like a cheapjack action flick, and thus the quiet conspiracy thriller approach is suddenly replaced by shoot-'em-up action set-pieces, car chases, explosions and even a flamethrower. The director might find it cool when people are killed in violent ways, but he fails to understand that this is not the outlet for such a thing. Once the characters shut up and the bullets begin to fly, we see past the glossy sheen of this all-star ensemble and realise Edison is nothing more than a direct-to- DVD actioner inhabited by a few A-listers. Timberlake fans or fans of hardcore action flicks may find this an enjoyable evening of movie- watching. For those seeking something more substantive...move along, there's nothing to see here.

A young ambitious reporter (Josh Pollack) discovers that an elite police squad is operating outside of the law. Josh's pursuit of the truth behind crime in Edison is fuelled initially by his own ambition to become a celebrated investigative journalist. But when Josh and his girlfriend are savagely attacked, the reasons behind his pursuit become slightly more noble. I have to admit, I avoided watching this movie for a long time. I was tempted - every time I saw it staring at me in the DVD store I picked it up and usually set it quickly down again. The reason why I avoided it was Justin Timberlake. I really object when pop stars, teen idols, footballers, models, etc. are wedged into acting roles (wouldn't Rio Bravo have been as near to perfection as a film can be had not Ricky Nelson started to sing in the middle of it?) Therefore, if I see the likes of Paris Hilton on the cast list I usually won't bother. That being said, Edison is not a film aimed at a teenage audience; it seemed to be a serious film about Police corruption and the rest of the cast did include Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey. So after much inner turmoil, I succumbed to the temptation and settled down to watch it....I shouldn't have bothered! The mind boggles as to why Timberlake was cast as Josh Pollack. I could have understood if this was a minor role, but it is not; the entire plot is based around his character. I could even have understood if his character was the traditional young idealist doing everything he could to make the world a better place (I am sure that even Justin Timberlake could have pulled off young and pure of heart). But no, Josh Pollock is a complicated character who wants fame and a Pulitzer Prize using the minimum amount of effort. In someone else's hands, Josh Pollock could have emerged as great cinema lead. But enough of this Justin bashing, because this film has many other flaws... The plot is ludicrous at times (a police officer gets shot dead inside the District Attorney's office and nobody really seems to bat an eye). There are hardly any likable characters in the film, no one really seems to get punished for their misdeeds and the film's moral message is lost along the way. In short, Edison is a mess, which is a bit of a shame. I believe with the lead role recast and a few minor script revisions it had the potential to have been a great film.