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The Razor's Edge

The Razor's Edge

Drama · Romance · 1984

An American WWI veteran undertakes a spiritual quest that takes him from Paris to Nepal to the Himalayas and back to his hometown. Upon his return, he discovers he is not the only one who has changed.

Movie details

The Razor's Edge

“The story of one man's search for himself.”

1984 Drama · Romance 2h 9m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.4 / 10

Community rating

An American WWI veteran undertakes a spiritual quest that takes him from Paris to Nepal to the Himalayas and back to his hometown. Upon his return, he discovers he is not the only one who has changed.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Razor's Edge?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

John Byrum

Written by

John Byrum · Bill Murray

Bill Murray

Bill Murray

Larry Darrell

Theresa Russell

Theresa Russell

Sophie MacDonald

Catherine Hicks

Catherine Hicks

Isabel Bradley

Denholm Elliott

Denholm Elliott

Elliott Templeton

James Keach

James Keach

Gray Maturin

Peter Vaughan

Peter Vaughan

Mackenzie

Brian Doyle-Murray

Brian Doyle-Murray

Piedmont

Court is in session

Put The Razor's Edge on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.