Rating: 
Summary: My all-time favorite movie!
Review: In my opinion, this is the most beautiful movie ever made. The mixture of humor and drama truly make it relative to real life. To watch Larry, a man on a journey to discover, not only himself, but also the meaning of Life, is what makes this movie special. What is remarkable is that the tragedy that Larry must face at the end is what actually leads to his final understanding of what the gift of life really is. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who appreciates the beauty that can be found in life, even during dark times.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Version...Characters that you will remember
Review: My two cents is that this is an outstanding film! The soundtrack is marvelous and moving, the cinematography is great, and the "supporting cast" performances of Denholm Elliott, Peter Vaughan, and Saeed Jaffrey are outstanding. Murray wasn't great but if you like him at all then you'll probably like the film. Casting Bill Murray as the lead was smart because Somerset Maughm's character rejects a mainstream life for a life less traveled, and Murray's smart alecky devil may care humor allows the character to reject a materialist style of life without being elitist and rejecting the people who have chosen that lifestyle. Anyway the film is not for everyone, but if you love Bill Murray obviously pick it up and if you have any counter-cultural leanings I strongly recommend picking it up and while you are here pick up Somerset Maughm's book!
Rating:
Summary: Labor of Love
Review: I absolutely loved this film when I saw it in the autumn of 1984. The theatre was mostly empty because it wasn't GHOSTBUSTERS (from what I've read, Murray only agreed to do GHOSTBUSTERS if Columbia would finance RAZOR'S EDGE--so no one really lost on that deal!). I remember both Roger Ebert & Gene Siskel raved about it, so not every critic was unkind.
Everyone just had a difficult time seeing Bill Murray in a dramatic role and never gave it a chance, which was their loss: I was completely absorbed by its classic story, its authentic locations, its beautiful score. To see Murray in this role added another layer to the character and only made him more unique and interesting. The cast couldn't have been better. I'm so glad to see it hit DVD but I'd really hoped to hear a commentary from Murray and director/co-screenwriter John Byrum. This is obviously a labor of love and it would've been very illuminating to hear from them. Regardless, this is a wonderful film and I look forward to taking the journey again on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Who are we? Why are we here??
Review: I am of Irish-German heritage, raised Catholic, now studying Hinduism. I can say this movie has profoundly impacted my life and recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining and serious adventure that embraces the search for self-realization. This has to be my favorite movie of all time. I've seen this movie, repeatedly, beginning in 1986 at the age of fifteen. I didn't know what its messages were back then but I continued to rent it off-and-on as I grew older in hopes I could realize more of the movie's riddles that caught my attention from the start. Especially, when Murray's talking with the Dhalai Lama and asks, "Is it true? That it's easier to be a monk on the top of a mountain?" And the Dalai Lama responds, "It is true that living a spiritual life is like walking on a razor's edge." Bill Murray's dramatic performance was compelling for me because he took a risk stepping outside of his comedic role-playing (his career stereo-type) to portray a character searching for the meaning of life--Siskel & Ebert identified this as the reason the movie didn't score well at the box office in 1984. I've seen Seven Years in Tibet with Brad Pitt, and I have to say that my opinion of the movie was biased because I found myself returning to The Razor's Edge as a gauge for comparison--even though both movies were based on non-fictional characters. Although the content of The Razor's Edge may be heavy, you won't walk away disappointed. In fact, I'm buying a copy from Amazon.com for my own library so I don't have to try and find it at the video store next month :)
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Version...Characters that you will remember
Review: My two cents is that this is an outstanding film! The soundtrack is marvelous and moving, the cinematography is great, and the "supporting cast" performances of Denholm Elliott, Peter Vaughan, and Saeed Jaffrey are outstanding. Murray wasn't great but if you like him at all then you'll probably like the film. Casting Bill Murray as the lead was smart because Somerset Maughm's character rejects a mainstream life for a life less traveled, and Murray's smart alecky devil may care humor allows the character to reject a materialist style of life without being elitist and rejecting the people who have chosen that lifestyle. Anyway the film is not for everyone, but if you love Bill Murray obviously pick it up and if you have any counter-cultural leanings I strongly recommend picking it up and while you are here pick up Somerset Maughm's book!
Rating:
Summary: All or Nothing
Review: Funny how every review is either 5 stars or 1. I guess you either get it or you don't. I got it, obviously . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Good film; terrible DVD
Review: As a fan of the film, I was excited to learn that it had finally been released as a DVD that was "digitally mastered" and "remastered in high definition." As soon as I heard that it was available, I purchased it to replace the VHS version, which I have owned for years. Unfortunately, the quality of the video on this DVD is just awful. The whole film appears to be hazy and grainy. Scenes with dark lighting are alive with distracting, grainy specks of white. While I would continue to recommend the movie, I cannot say that it is worthwhile to buy the DVD if you already have it on tape.
Rating:
Summary: Sleeper If Ever There Was One!
Review: Bill Murray is brilliantly casted in the role of the main character; a man seeking the meaning of life on a spiritual quest that sacrifices everything and everyone in his world. There are significant differences between this film and the novel by W. Somerset Maugham. The narrator is not a character in the film as in the book. Larry Darell does not visit the Dalai Lama in the book as he does in the film, but rather spends several years in India living with a Hindu holy man. Larry's philosophical and religious revelations in the book stem from Hinduism rather than Buddhism, as in the film. There are also other significant small details that are not as obvious in the film as in the novel; for example, the effect of the Great Depression on Gray's family fortune and why he & Isabel must move to Paris and live with Uncle Elliot. It would be a mistake to think of this movie as a sort of spiritual parallel to "Seven Years in Tibet". It's actually got more in common with the Great Gatsby. This isn't a story about a Westerner becomming turned-on by Eastern religion as much as it's a story about aristocratic Americans from Chicago living as expatriats in Paris in the years 1918-to-1930-something, (as seen through European eyes). There are some fabulous acting performances in this film, foremost of which is Denholm Elliot in the role of Elliot Templeton (perhaps the best of his career). Bill Murray should have received on Oscar for his performance. Word on the street today is that what an incredible film "Lost in Translation" is, and how it shows a side of Bill Murray we haven't seen before, but I disagree. Those critics need to go back and have a look at "The Razor's Edge" and they will see that "serious" side of Murray, but in a much better-written and more moving story. This DVD is a nice presentation: a 16x9 widescreen picture that looks good and the sound is fine as well. You won't be sorry you purchased it.
Rating:
Summary: Horrid, horrid mockery of a fine piece of literature
Review: I cannot warn you AWAY from this film enough. Did Bill Murray even READ this book??? My god! This was a serious piece of work and Bill approached it like it was Caddyshack. Bill Murray bought the right to this and then he took liberties which are clearly out of the scope of Somerset Maugham's intent. I really can't fathom what he was thinking by doing this. This tortures The Razor's Edge as much as the remake of The Scarlett Letter with Demi Moore. So,if you like fine literature tortured and twisted until it is unrecognizable, you'll love this movie!
Rating:
Summary: The Razor's Edge: art made movie.
Review: It is a treasure as far as movies and art is concern.
J.Botto Bellaire, TX
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