SnoopyStyle Jonathan Breech (Cillian Murphy) is perfectly satisfied to bury his father. It's a life of drugs, sex, and chaos. He takes his father's ashes from his brother and drives the stolen car off a cliff. He survives and accepts a sentence of three months in the psych ward over the Christmas holidays which is run by Dr. Figure (Stephen Rea).This is an Irish indie from filmmaker John Carney who later makes award-winning Once. Cillian Murphy provides the energetic lead and Stephen Rea provides the steady foil. Tricia Vessey provides the manic pixie girl. The group sessions need a couple of older geezers for balance. The camera movement during the first group session involves constantly rotating at the same pace around the group. It needs a few changes. It should highlight the calendar countdown more. The soundtrack is full of alternate Brit pop and is a large part of the film. This is a fine effort.

deconstructing In a way, On the Edge is a wasted potential, but it's hardly a film that should be avoided.Its main problem is the fact it doesn't offer anything new. Patients in the mental institution, group therapy, doctors, rebellious patient that just doesn't want to follow the routine. That's right: we've seen it all, and we've seen it better; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is simply too memorable and impossible to forget when watching one of the films about mental institutions.On the Edge also feels a bit rushed, as if 30 minutes of it is missing. This doesn't let us get to know characters better or understand their stories.But the film isn't completely bad. Stephen Rea does make us believe he's a doctor, and it's possible to sense a real person behind the professional persona, even if we never get to know much, if anything, about him. But the real heart of the film is Cillian Murphy, who manages to make his Jonathan as complex as the script allows him to.He brings warmth, honesty and sarcasm to his character, without being over the top, even in extreme situations. Cillian Murphy is one of those actors who can speak with their eyes, and in this early role he proves himself as a talented actor that should not be overlooked.

benjamin22 This film is visually very beautiful and very well-acted by the entire cast, especially Cillian Murphy. It is a well-paced film that is enjoyable to watch.However the writing and use of music are both frequently immature, especially given the subject matter of the film. I felt that many of the emotional turns in the story were not well earned by the narrative development.Cillian Murphy's character in the film is always denying anyone else's' ability to analyze his suicidal tendencies and my biggest problem with the film is that I think if his character were a real person who saw this film he would hate it and say that it was dishonest.My last statement does suggest that Murphy's character was developed enough for me to even have ideas about what he would feel outside of the film, so that is a positive thing.I think "On the Edge" is a good enough movie, but the same actors/characters with the same cinematographer and director, but with a different story, could have made a much better film.

kellyebt If Cillian Murphy had only one movie role to identify himself by, On the Edge should be it. You could almost feel the energy coming off his slender body in waves as he strode through the scenes, wise cracking one minute, driving a BMX off a cliff the next. In this story of Jonathon Breech, a young Irishman's battle with death, depression, and love, my only beef came with Jonathon Jackson's accent. It wasn't terrible, but it was enough to make me cringe a few times when I'd rather have concentrated on Cillian's ice blue eyes, Cillian's deep Irish brogue, Cillian's large, working man's hands... Well-known for playing mentally off-kilter roles, Cillian Murphy is one of those blue-eyed actors (Paul Newman, Robert Redford) who can emote with stillness. There were times when the soundtrack in this film seemed to dominate, catchy teeny-bopper gingles gangling in the background, and then the camera light would catch a certain nuance in his face. It was like seeing a window opened. If you're a romantic, this one is worth renting.