Le fil du rasoir

This is one of those films that defines the difference between a "film" and a "movie". Maugham, in print form, often drags; Murray's senses of humor and timing eschew that hurdle and make a beautiful story of growth and epiphany accessible in just two short hours.

The "test" aspect for me here is simple and a bit autocratic, if not downright arrogant as Hell; I don't want to know well anyone who does not appreciate this film.

"The Razor's Edge" is based on a novel of the same title.

"The Razor's Edge" takes place over at least a decade, moving from the midwestern U.S to WWI in Europe to Paris and what might be Tibet and back to Paris again. It's a nice film to look at, as the period and place production really sucks one into the story, and has what I thought of as a cozy pacing, but what some might think drags on a little (it was a great, alone-on-a-rainy-Sunday, laying-on-the-couch rental for me).

The film does a good job of playing ideas with scenes, and playing the ideas/scenes off of seemingly drastically different ones, from the barren emptiness of a battlefield to the uplifting emptiness of the Himalayas, to the warm loneliness of a Paris café, to the cold loneliness of a rich man's death bed.

This is obviously a true labor of love for Bill Murray. He nails his character and the ideas the script attempts to channel through his character's development. Hopefully, now that somehow people can "accept" Bill Murray as not "just" an overtly comedic actor (with the success of "Lost in Translation") people will be more open to enjoying this very good film.

The supposed 'straight' role that Bill Murray performed in this adaptation of the novel by the same name is why it failed. On the back of Stripes and then Ghostbusters, people found it hard to accept the deadpan face of Murray fronting a movie examining belief systems and the meaning of life.

The screenplay charts the spiritual and philosophical growth of Larry Darrell (Murray) as he begins to question the materialist world building up around him. Darrell's search within takes him across the globe through many different scenarios, and Murray adds a welcome dose of humanity and - to be quite frank humour, as he treads the path to salvation.

The novel by Somerset Maugham is an excellent read, and its not that the performance of Murray detracts from, or belittles the plight of Darrell, rather it enhances it.

I rented this movie strictly because Bill Murray was in it. He's always been one of my favorite comic actors. After seeing The Razor's Edge, my view of him changed forever. As much as I enjoyed his work before and after this film, his career development appears stunted.

In this film, Murray is brilliant and convincing as Larry Darrow, a man searching for his soul's peace, after a brutal event "awakened" him from his posh aristocratic life.

Murray is a comic genius, but his abilities as a dramatic actor have been woefully underused.

Don't listen to anyone who bashes this film. It is wonderful. I welcome this dramatic role for clown Bill Murray. I saw it the first time when it first came out on video, not knowing what to expect except that it was a drama. I thought the film was fantastic. Murray goes off on a search for himself and the truth, while his friends change and endure their indulgences. A lot to be admired about this film. Not everyone's cup of tea probably, but certainly not the snore fest that others would paint it to be.