Edison Force Reviews

I have never heard of this flick before but since there was a rather impressive cast I was rather eager to watch it. And, indeed, the cast (Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, Justin Timberlake, LL Cool J) was pretty cool and the actors gave some decent performance. Furthermore, at least, at first, the movie had a nice atmosphere but, unfortunately, the story was rather messy and after a while, I kind of lost interest in the whole thing. Unsurprisingly, after some poor test screenings, the film was released direct-to-DVD . Apparently, this movie was another failed attempt Justin Timberlake’s career as a leading man (as a matter of fact, it was even his first ‘real’ acting part). Eventually, almost 10 years later, it seems that Timberlake has developped as solid career as a supporting actor in some interesting movies like ‘Alpha Dog’, ‘Black Snake Moan’, ‘The Social Network’ or ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ but everytime he gets the lead like for ‘Friends with Benefits’, ‘In Time’ or ‘Runner Runner’, it turns out to be a flop. Anyway, the whole thing turned out to be rather disappointing but it's too bad because it actually had some potential but, eventually, it is not really worth a look.

"In the city of Edison, there's a network of corruption no-one dares to challenge..."

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.

5.8/10

It was just called 'Edison' in Australia, and this crime thriller was sure worth seeing. I think this must have been Justin Timberlake's debut film, and it definitely came out in style with an all-star cast and a fast paced story.

This shows the corruption of of a journalist, Josh Pollack, when he becomes suspicious of an elite force, F.R.A.T, after the trial of an innocent man who's friend had just been murdered. At the start we see what happened to him, that is why there is no real mystery to the plot. So Pollack becomes more involved with F.R.A.T than he would want to, putting himself in danger as well as him friends and someone on this inside. This is exciting, fast paced and a real thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you like action thrillers then this movie is for you, lots of explosions and gun fires.

This really was a brilliant cast, in my opinion perfectly picked with their characters. Morgan Freeman was outstanding, as was Kevin Spacey. Justin Timberlake, who I hadn't seen before in any films, has started out great for me. He gave a brilliant performance, I never doubted it for a second. LL Cool J was at his best, he should really be in more flicks like this. Dylan McDermott was brilliant.. his character freaked me out, so he must have aced his role. Others were okay.. nothing spectacular but then again there was no one in this cast that I found irritating.

I just read a lot of bad reviews for this, if I had seen them before I saw this I probably would have passed it. Luckily I did see it, and I disagree with those reviews. Because for me this was a great film so sit down and watch. Sure, it could have been better, but it was definitely better than most action thrillers like this. A good watch.