3/5 Atmospheric, Uneven, But Engrossing...
  by Benjamin J Burgraff (Las Vegas)
Loosely based on the wartime experiences of legendary Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, John Maybury's "The Edge of Love" is visually breathtaking, capturing the claustrophobic intensity of London during the Blitz, as opposed to the serenity of Thomas' Welsh seacoast home, with an artist's eye; but as drama, the story tends to drift, particularly during the rather melodramatic 'third act', despite vivid performances by Keira Knightley (who can sing!) and Sienna Miller. Ultimately, the film is an engrossing misfire, worth viewing, but lacking a cohesive core.

Thomas (as portrayed by Matthew Rhys), is a moody, brilliant, but childish artist, full of passion, but unable to see beyond his own desires. When his childhood lover, Vera Phillips (Knightley) appears in London to pursue a career as an entertainer, he begins a campaign to bed her, and relive his past...which doesn't sit well with his beautiful, tempestuous wife, Caitlin (Miller). While both Thomases have relaxed mores about infidelity (despite their intense jealousy), Caitlin and Vera soon discover, through their mutual love of Dylan, a bond that turns the situation into a playful, non-sexual ménage-à-trois. When young soldier William Killick (Cillian Murphy) falls for Vera, however, the chemistry changes, as she matures, and learns to accept 'adult' love and responsibility. Killick is posted in war-torn Greece, Vera moves to Wales with the Thomases (and soon has Killick's child), but Dylan's unabated, selfish desire for Vera untimately leads to tragedy for both couples.

It is actually a standard formula for drama, and plays out with few surprises. Still, Keightley is luminous, Miller is fiery and sympathetic, and the actresses succeed in keeping your interest, even when the story falters.

The Special Features include Commentary, a 'Making Of' featurette, and a very funny gag reel (watch how difficult it is for non-smoking actors to convincingly portray WWII chain-smokers!)

If you are a fan of Keira Knightley, I can highly recommend "The Edge of Love"; for all others, it is a mixed blessing!



1/5 Awful movie
  by K. Payne (Hickory, NC)
I love this genre of movies but this film was an absolute disappointment. It was totally shallow. Horrible...

3/5 A decent World War II love triangle
  by D. J. Nardi (Washington, DC)
I'm not usually a big fan of romantic love movies, particularly love triangles, but The Edge of Love is worth watching. It's more subtle than most love triangles. All of the characters are fairly likable bohemians. The tension among the couples is real and not overacted.

I also like the visual colors in the film a lot. Some of the shots almost look like paintings. On blu-ray, the really colors stand out.

Just to note: I'm not really sure what the film has to do with World War II. The war only plays a tangential role in the movie - this is primarily a love story. It's still worth viewing, but I just wouldn't want anybody to think it's primarily a war film.

3/5 Beautiful film, strange story
  by C Wahlman (Merrillville, IN)
The Edge of Love: a bohemian love story. This film is all about love and war, but I think it proves that in real life, friendship conquers all as well.

The beautiful cinematography captivated me. The stunning colors and rich, lush images were just beautiful, no matter the setting: the bombings, Vera's apartment, war scenes, or quaint Wales. The acting was well done. Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley are wonderful as the free-spirited, yet troubled women. (Side note: Could you have imagined this film with Lindsey Lohan instead of Miller? Yikes!) Cillian Murphy is romantic and dynamic. I slowly began to loath Matthew Rhys for his convincing portrayal of the enigmatic and truly self absorbed artist Dylan Thomas.

My main gripe, the reason I cannot give another star, is because the female relationship here is so diluted. A montage of "fun times together" does not count as substance. I wanted to understand the unusual friendship between these two women, and instead, I felt like this was thrown aside for the suspense of will there be an affair and if so, who will get hurt? There are a handful of scenes, but I still just think the story line lacked friendship. Cillian Murphy stole the show for me, as I think he is the best actor of this bunch, which is unfortunate given his miniscule screen time compared to the other stars. So many details and too many things going on throughout the film made the film difficult to follow; although I thought the ending really wrapped up the story nicely.

4/5 Very Visual
  by MovieGuy (Knoxville, TN)
Very well done WWII period piece; more about the relationships and the effects of the war than of Dylan Thomas. Acting is superb and the blu ray is stunning.