The Naked Edge Reviews

Shot in England at Elstree Studios, this is a story brimming with red herrings. Cooper is an American in England, where his co-worker, McAnally, is on trial for robbery and murder. Cooper testifies against McAnally, who is convicted and given a life sentence. Then, Cooper and another co-worker, Wilding, buy out a shipping company. Cooper tells his wife, Kerr, that he turned a tidy profit in the stock market and that's where he got the money to finance his business venture. Kerr is skeptical, especially since the money McAnally allegedly stole has never been recovered, but she reluctantly accepts her husband's explanation. Time passes and Cooper's business prospers, but problems arise when former lawyer Portman tries to blackmail Cooper. He claims Cooper set McAnally up and then tells Kerr that he actually saw Cooper commit murder. Kerr begins snooping around and finds clues that make her think her husband is indeed guilty, and she starts to worry that Cooper will kill her. Suspense builds, Kerr is about to be murdered by an unseen attacker while she bathes, but heroic Cooper arrives in the nick of time, subduing the would-be killer--Portman, who, it turns out, was the real guilty party all along. This was Cooper's last film--he died of cancer before it was released--and his failing health is apparent in his performance. The film is a slow-moving affair, hardly the appropriate pace for a thriller, especially one with so much intricate plotting. The plot holes, and there are quite a few, are merely emphasized by the film's leisurely unwinding. The film was produced by Marlon Brando's company, Pennebaker, and Brando's father served as executive producer.