Starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin Directed by Lee Tamahori Rated R, with strong profanity and powerful violence Running time 117 minutes Jack gives this film a rating of 8 out of 10

(Sept. 26, 1997) -- Two ruthless men and a woman who has come between them, rugged Canadian Rockies terrain, freezing weather, and a very big, very aggressive Kodiak bear -- those are the basic ingredients in an elemental thriller, aptly titled The Edge.

Indeed, it's about men taken by circumstances and base emotions to the primitive edge of human behavior.

But while the formula may seem a bit too simplistic for its own good, the project resonates because of the talent of its stars -- Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin -- and the visceral skill of its director, New Zealander Lee Tamahori. (You only need see the brutal masterpiece Once Were Warriors to recognize Tamahori's skill as an explorer of raw emotions and violence.)

It also helps that highly regarded playwright David Mamet contributed the screenplay. Though his famously terse and cynical language has most frequently been heard in the corporate boardrooms and real estate agencies of such indoor works as Glengarry Glen Ross, they seem entirely appropriate between these two guys in the great outdoors.

Hopkins plays Charles Morse, a multimillionaire tycoon in the Ted Turner mold. He's married to a sexy, young "trophy" wife, a professional model appropriately played by Elle Macpherson.

Morse and his wife combine business and pleasure by taking a trip into the great north woods of Canada. For the wife, it'll be a chance for a fashion shoot in an exotic location -- that's why she brings along a magazine camera crew. For Charles, it's a chance to explore the alien concept of "roughing it."

Alec Baldwin plays Robert Green, the fashion photographer in charge of the fashion shoot. It's obvious he also lusts after Charles' wife, and Charles begins to suspect they may already be having an affair.

However, after leaving the others at the base camp, Charles and Robert take a plane ride to scout locations -- and end up crashed on a remote mountain side, miles and miles from civilization or help.

Beset with conflicting emotions, these two guys who would rather kill each other are forced to join together to survive the elements. As if the freezing weather and lack of food aren't enough, there's also a large and deadly bear on their trail, and the men are armed with nothing but their hands, a pocket knife and their wits.

Some aspects of the script are highly implausible, but The Edge is undeniably viscerally exciting. The long, terrifying bear sequence is, by itself, worth the price of admission. (It helps that even the bear "casting" is top-shelf: He's played by Bart, the marvelous animal actor who previously starred in The Bear.)

Hopkins and Baldwin have seldom been better, especially at portraying the more primitive aspects of human nature. Baldwin scores with his portrait of conniving jealousy, while Hopkins conveys his character's lively intelligence and resourcefulness. And neither man has ever unleashed such overt rage on screen before.

The Edge also offers some of the most spectacular mountain vistas ever to hit the screen. Declining to use matte painting or digital tricks, Tamahori took his cast and crews onto the mountains of British Columbia -- and the results are breathtaking.