JT 'Trouser snake' fights cop corruption (Edison Force (DVD))

Member Name: salem_witch

Product:	Edison Force (DVD)
Date:	30/12/07 (275 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great cast. JT's first acting role

Disadvantages: Poor script. Not as good as it could have been

When I was looking through Sky Anytime to see if there was anything decent to watch I came across 'Edison'. A quick read of the blurb grabbed my attention simply because of the cast. Something a film with Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey would be worth watching. What concerned me was I had never heard of it and it was filmed in 2005 so it can't be that great. I was also interested to see that Justin Timberlake and LL Cool J were in it. Having seeing LL Cool J in 'S.W.A.T.' and an episode of 'House' I enjoyed watching him. Plus I was curious to see if Timberlake could act as well as he can sing.

Set in the fictitious city of Edison the film opens with Officer Rafe Deed (LL Cool J) and his colleague Sgt. Frances Lazerov (Dylan McDermott), from F.R.A.T. (First Response Assault & Tactical) on their way to a raid. They find money from drugs and then force two men on their knees. Lazerov is clearly enjoying waving his gun around and then tells Deed to shoot one of them. Not being able to go through with it Lazerov takes charge and shoots one of them in the head. In a few short minutes of seeing him on screen it's clear that Lazerov is a psycho and Deed is the one with a conscience. Later on Deed is testifying at the trial. They've made the other man say he shot the other one in the head as he came at him with a knife. Fearing for his life the accused takes responsibility for shooting him and is sentenced to 18 months in prison. Josh Pollack (Justin Timberlake) is a reporter who is present at the trial and he senses that something isn't right and questions Deed and afterwards as to why the defendant thanked him.

Not getting any answers from Deed or Lazerov he decides that something dodgy is going on and decides to investigate. Back in his office his boss Moses Ashford (Morgan Freeman) isn't happy with him and fires him from the community weekly, 'Herald Heights'. This doesn't put Pollack off though and he's determined to get to the bottom of it. Can he find out what's going on before F.R.A.T try and silence him for good?
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At first it sounds like a really good film and with Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey being billed first you expect them to be in it the most. In reality, their roles have very little screen time and you'll notice I haven't even mentioned Spacey in the synopsis. This is because his part as the city's investigator Levon Wallace gets more screen time later on. However, it is a small role and it's even smaller than Freeman's. Both of them acted reasonably well but I have to say it's not their best and not really comparable to all their big box office hits. So if you're going to watch this just for them then you'll be disappointed.

'Edison' is Timberlake's first acting role and he's received a lot of criticism for it. Although his acting isn't faultless I thought for his first main role he did very well. His character was likeable but he didn't have enough passion in trying to find out the truth. So I found that although I liked him I was never really worried about his safety. So when there were parts which were supposed to be tense I didn't start hoping that he'd be ok. I don't feel that this lack of passion was entirely his fault though and the director and the script. There were parts he was really believable and you could tell he was trying his best. For anyone who doesn't like him they'll not see this though and just focus on the bad parts.

For me the best actor was LL Cool J. His character, Deed, is struggling with his conscience throughout the film and although he is in the wrong and investigated he doesn't seem overly bothered about being caught. Uncharacteristically for a member of F.R.A.T. he has a fiancée and it's during flashbacks of what they've done when he's with her that he feels guilty. In contrast McDermott's character Lazerov is a loose cannon. In the opening scene he clearly doesn't mind shooting people just to keep their money, in fact, he looks like he's enjoying himself. I've never seen him in any other films before so I can't compare him but his portrayal of Lazerov was excellent and I found myself wondering what he'll do next, as he's so out of control.

There are other actors that you'll recognise. John Heard plays Capt. Brian Tilman, the head of F.R.A.T. and he plays it very well. I knew I'd seen him in things before but as I was watching it I couldn't worked it out. It surprised me to learn that he was the Dad in Home Alone. In 'Edison' he's a cool and calculated evil man who doesn't even react when Lazerov goes off on one at him. Cary Elwes (SAW) features as D.A. Jack Reigert. He doesn't have a huge part and I never really noticed that it was him, possibly because when he's on screen the other big stars are. Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly) plays Timberlake's girlfriend but again doesn't have a huge part.

Films about corrupt cops have been made before so 'Edison' brings nothing new to the screen for viewers. There are better films out there but I still found this entertaining even if it didn't hold my attention all the time. The director and writer David J Burke hasn't really made the most of the actors and the script isn't that great. The scenes, which were supposed to be tense, weren't very convincing so I didn't find myself gripped by them. Combined with that there was also lack of character development. This meant I didn't care too much for them. It could have been so much better and as a result has had lots of bad reviews and didn't even get a cinema release. It was shown at Toronto Film Festival and got a very bad response, which is why it went straight on to DVD. I can see why as I don't think it would have made much had it been released in the cinema, apart from people going to see it because of the actors.

The other aspects of the film I didn't like were the music. It was played too loud and sometimes drowned out what the actors were saying. There is nothing wrong with my hearing and I found myself having to concentrate in some of the scenes where they cranked the volume of the music up. A prime example of this is the opening scene where Deed is talking. Also parts of the plot were a bit far fetched. The first being the fact that Pollack picks up on the 'thank you' said in court and reads into it. It would have been better if they'd found another way of him suspecting that F.R.A.T. was corrupt and going from there.

There were a few silly scenes - one involving Moses dancing. I don't know why he did but it reminded me of Hugh Grant's dance in 'Love Actually'. The music playing the Chambers Brothers for you who know them. This was at the end of a scene, which again the music was played too loud to hear the dialogue clearly. The other part I thought was daft was a proposal in a nightclub. Would anyone do that? Most of the film has plenty of action in it and the violence isn't too graphic which the 15 certificate supports. Some of the action scenes are a little over the top but I guess that was thrown in to make up for the poor script.

Although I've said the acting isn't the best (some would argue it's really bad!) it wasn't so bad that I got bored and wanted to turn it off. I'd imagine that most people who have watched this have been hugely disappointed because of the cast involved and expecting a quality film. I'd recommend it but only just. And then only to those who don't mind it's weaknesses and don't expect an Oscar winning film. I did enjoy watching Timberlake on screen and I'll certainly be looking out for 'Alpha Dog' when it comes on to Sky.

** For those wondering it is called 'Edison' but it's called 'Edison Force' in the States.

Summary: Average cop corruption flick