jungophile

That title is a bit much, I confess, but the fact of the matter is (and many astute reviewers here have caught it) that the source novel of this film is only slightly better than average. Maughum hampers himself and the unfolding of his narrative arc by choosing to write in the first person, and he ends up tying himself up in knots trying to set up conversations with Larry, the protagonist, played by Tyrone Power, so Larry can fill him in on what he's been doing and Maughum can plausibly continue with the story, which isn't even particularly engaging. It seems to me like the author was more intent on working himself into his Great American novel, rather than just letting his story stand on its own two feet.

Daryl Zanuck's production is quite faithful to the novel, and even made some money despite a very non-commercial theme and being arguably overlong at 160 minutes. Most of the scenes are lavishly produced except for those taking place in India, which have a "tacked on" quality with painted backdrops and vacuous dialogue between Larry and some bearded "Wise Old Man" at the monastery.

As another reviewer pointed out, Hollywood wasn't exactly "deep" in the '30s; they just wanted their films to make big profits and get more Oscars and media attention than their studio competitors. "The Razor's Edge" wants so badly to be profound, but it ends up looking like a very expensive soap opera with delusions of grandeur; this is not Zanuck's fault, or Trotti's, the screenwriter; the problem is at the root: the novel itself.

Still, the performances, photography, and direction are quite good, even if the more cynical Holden Caufield types would probably find the characters and their existential prattle "phony". Whether you enjoy this film or not comes down to the title of this review because most of this film is just characters talking.

The challenge of making a film like this is that any average horror film fan pretty much knows what to expect going in, so the quality of the viewing experience depends a lot on the execution of a well-worn plot line and the professionalism of the ensemble cast. On the plus side, we have a suitably creepy and foreboding atmosphere of a long-defunct mental institution after midnight, and the actors sell the scares pretty well, too. On the negative side, the viewer has to be very patient before the inevitable ghost shenanigans get rolling.

Call me impatient, but I was frustrated by the long set up and character development. Frankly, I couldn't wait for these annoying 20-somethings to get their comeuppance, so consequently, I was rooting for the ghosts by the half way point. Since my sympathy for the characters was practically nil when the horror elements were finally unveiled, I actually chuckled when the "scariest" moments finally made their entrance.

I think the film would have been much more powerful if it was a bit more tightly edited; even just lopping off ten minutes from the first act would have been an improvement. Still, for a low budget Asian horror film, not bad.