While producing their own genre films, Empire Pictures also distributed various films that weren’t in-house or within their wheelhouse. The thought process was that of all the films they’d pick up for distribution, hopefully, one would be a hit. Enter Norbert Meisel, a character actor who starred in TV shows like Combat!, The Rat Patrol, and Mission: Impossible. In the ’70s, Meisel transitioned to directing adult films including The Adulteress, Mafia Girls, and Dreams of Desire. In 1976, Meisel married Asian actress Nancy Kwan, who was one of the most iconic Asian actresses in the ’60s. The two collaborated on 1981’s Dreams of Desire before moving onto an action-thriller with Kwan in a starring role. While the film was produced in 1982, it wasn’t released until it was sold to Empire Pictures in 1985. On January 11, 1985, Walking the Edge was finally released to theaters.
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Synopsis
After her family is killed by crime boss Brusstar (Joe Spinell), Christine Holloway (Nancy Kwan) manages to escape. Meanwhile, things aren’t going well for Jason Walk (Robert Forster), a taxi driver and numbers runner, who’s been screwed over. His so-called friends belittle him, he gets cheated out of his money, and he catches his girlfriend cheating on him. While on the job, Jason picks up Christine, who uses him to find the gang responsible for killing her family. After surviving a gunfight with Brusstar and his gang, Jason ends up getting roped into Christine’s revenge quest. Jason decides to have Christine stay at his place as he sets out to finish the job. Having been pushed around and stepped on, Jason finally has the opportunity to strike back and rise to the occasion. It’s a fight for survival as our hero is walking the edge!
Review
Walking the Edge is an oddity compared to many other films from Empire Pictures like Re-Animator, TerrorVision, and Troll. While their usual output had some fantastical elements, this one is more of a gritty, realistic revenge thriller. Much like The Caller, this is another film from the Empire library that deserves more attention than it gets. Though it’s set in Los Angeles, it has the grit and grime of New York sleaze flicks like The Exterminator. Robert Forster makes for a solid lead, perfectly playing an unlikely hero with many flaws that he has to overcome. He feels like a precursor to Bruce Willis in Die Hard, only a little more broken in some ways. With his disheveled hair, sweat pants, and frumpy build, Forster’s transformation in the second half feels all the more satisfying. He also has one of the film’s best and most quotable lines.
Nancy Kwan does a great job as the housewife turned vigilante, and she has solid chemistry with Forster. As always, Joe Spinell makes for a menacing villain, having a very cool demeanor while having some outbursting moments. The score by Jay Chattaway (Star Trek: The Next Generation) is instantly catchy with that ’80s synth style. Admittedly, one problem with the film is how it starts as a female Death Wish before Forster takes over. The way it starts, you think the focus is going to be on Nancy Kwan, but that’s not quite true. About halfway through, Forster takes the reigns and it becomes his movie, Kwan being absent for much of the runtime. Even if its plot is somewhat disjointed, this is still an underrated revenge thriller that more people should check out. Overall, Walking the Edge is a solidly entertaining hidden gem in the Empire Pictures library.
Buy Walking the Edge from Amazon: https://amzn.to/3jeNPxQ
