So much average

Fantastic!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

A soldier returning home after WWI travels to Nepal to seek enlightenment and peace within himself. The story is a very clever one about not only what is enlightenment but about who seeks it and how they seek it.After watching this movie in the 1980s, many parts of the movie still stick in mind as poignant. This movie is famous for having flopped at the box office, and was only made in the first place to get Bill Murray to star in Ghost Busters. So let's face it, spiritual journeys of self-entitled people are not something everyone is going to enjoy, but at the same time, some people will find a message and love this movie.

The second adaptation of the iconic novel, this Bill Murray centric- version follows him as Larry, an early 20th century socialite who ends serving as an ambulance driver in WW1. Marked by this experience, he distances himself from the high life in America and begins a global search for life's meaning, from the mines of Britannia to the mountains of Tibet.Beautifully mounted, the 80s 'Razor's Edge' assembles a lot of great components, yet never fully meets expectation. From a writing standpoint, this is down to the inciting incident that leads to Larry's soul search: it just isn't well developed enough. The WW1 segment isn't very long, and you don't really get the impression that Larry is scarred or shocked by it. What's more, they try to have him have this relationship with his officer, Piedmont (played by Brian Murray), but the screen time they do share sees them more at odds or Larry being bewildered by the brashness of Piedmont. Why does his death matter so much to Larry? As a byproduct of this one misfire, it weakens everything else in the story, and makes Larry's journey not feel as powerful or weighty as it so badly needs to be.This is a genuine shame that they got this one key element wrong, as everything else is top notch. It's very well filmed, especially thanks to its international, on location backdrop. The stuff up in the Himalayas in particular is pretty spectacular. Performances are also of a similar calibre; for his first straight role, old Bill isn't half bad. Sometimes he can be a little rigid, but for the most part, his dryness and friendly demeanour compensate. He is joined by the likes of Catherine Hicks, Theresa Russell and James Keach, who all add solid work. And finally, Jack Nitzsche's score; very elegant, and though it mainly relies on a recurring motif of strings that sounds very similar to Morricone's 'Time of Destiny', it actually works rather well and is genuinely moving.In the end, 'Razor's Edge' is an ambitious failure, but not a boring or indulgent one at least. For Murray fans, it's an intriguing little curio and an important step in his development.

I really wanted to enjoy this film, being a fan of Somerset Maugham. I found it devoid of interesting characters – Bill Murray zombie walked through scene after excruciating scene with hardly a change of expression. His journey to India was hackneyed and terribly contrived. He may just as well have played the part in a shopping mall – his deadpan performance gave the film a belaboured feel through-out. The confrontations between characters – such as they were – had little impact. The whole thing was just boring and ringed false. Perhaps I give it a few points for the scenery and the storyline did change from time to time. Much better to read the novel instead of looking at this.

When I saw this movie years ago, I probably gave it a five. I wasn't ready to fully get the message. My partner has always loved this movie, so I gave it another shot tonight and it touched all the bases for me. The last couple of years we discovered Paris so the Paris scenes were great. As a Veteran and peace activist, the PTSD angle was right in my wheel house. Bill Murray is fascinating. In real life he is a seeker who travels alone and just shows in the most unlikely places. There is a sadness to him under the wise guy persona. You cansee why he wanted to make this movie. There is a lot of Larry Darrell in him! The rest of cast did a wonderful job, Therese Russell was a revelation and Catherine Hicks had the unenviable task of making people not like, which she accomplished.