Jagged Edge

A piece of urban folklore claims an alternate ending revealed the killer's identity. No alternate ending exists, but the original ending was in fact reshot after first-preview audiences complained that the killer's face was not clearly shown. In the original version, the unmasked killer's face was shown for eighteen frames (less than a second). Nine seconds were later added to the revised version, and the mystery was clearly resolved and the killer shown.

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The typewriter is the same one Joe Eszterhas used to write the film's screenplay.

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A few weeks after reviewing the film on their show, Siskel and Ebert returned to the film to address complaints from viewers who could not recognize the killer's face in the final scene, giving audiences time to turn up the volume before explaining who the killer was.

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Jane Fonda was originally set to play the female lead. When she demanded changes to Joe Eszterhas's screenplay, the studio sided with Eszterhas and brought in Glenn Close in her place.

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According to Joe Eszterhas's book "Hollywood Animal," producer Martin Ransohoff opposed casting Glenn Close, saying she was too ugly for the role. Close eventually heard about this and said she did not want Ransohoff on set while she shot her scenes. Director Richard Marquand stood by her and sent Ransohoff away. Infuriated, Ransohoff went to studio executives to try to get close to them, and Marquand was fired from the film. The studio refused the move, stating they were pleased with his work on the film.

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It is the first installment of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas's San Francisco thriller trilogy. The following films were Basic Instinct (1992) and Jade (1995).

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According to Joe Eszterhas's autobiography "Hollywood Animal," Glenn Close was not a fan of the film's ending. She felt that Teddy shooting Jack was a "vigilante" act, a "right-wing" act. After the premiere, Joe Eszterhas's father came up to congratulate Close on her performance and told her that in the closing scene she resembled an "avenging angel." Close was pleasantly surprised by the compliment and eventually embraced the scene.

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Kevin Costner turned down the lead role, which ultimately went to Jeff Bridges.

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A sequel was initially planned in which Robert Loggia and Glenn Close would reprise their roles. The script was eventually rewritten as a standalone film, with Burt Reynolds and Theresa Russell replacing Loggia and Close respectively, and the film was finally released under the title Physical Evidence (1989).

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The poster visible in David and Jenny Barnes's bedroom is for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983), also directed by Richard Marquand.

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It contains Robert Loggia's only Oscar-nominated performance.

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The R&B group Jagged Edge named itself after the film.

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According to the entertainment trade paper Variety, the film's two leads, Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close, were at the time "Triple Oscar Nominees" who had never won.

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This 1985 film was the first of two back-to-back thrillers made by actor Jeff Bridges, who the following year would star opposite Jane Fonda in the thriller The Morning After (1986). Both films featured a knife or dagger as the murder weapon, and in both there were doubts about whether the main female character should trust Bridges's character.

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It was included on the American Film Institute's 2001 list of 400 films nominated for the 100 Most Heart-Pounding American Films.

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The courthouse exterior was actually San Francisco City Hall.

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Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas and director Richard Marquand had previously worked together on the screenplay for "Pals."

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The old manual typewriter's brand, model and color were a 1942 black Corona typewriter.

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India has produced two versions of this film since its initial release. They are the 1987 Kannada film Antima Ghatta (1987) and the 2001 Bollywood film Kasoor (2001).

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Director Richard Marquand, whose strong documentary background influenced his fascination with the way people expose the truth, was suggested to direct by Columbia Pictures president Guy McElwaine. He was in London working on the final post-production work for his then-latest film, the bittersweet romantic drama "Until September" (1984).

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"Who did it?" producer Martin Ransohoff asked. "Tom Krasny, the district attorney with political ambitions, moves quickly to bring a case against Forrester. But there are reasons to believe Krasny is as eager to use this case to win a Senate seat as he is to convict the right man." Ransohoff continued: "Teddy is very smart. With the help of a grouchy shoe named Sam Ransom, she launches her own investigation. She finds what she is looking for: the holes in Krasny's case, and that Forrester is not the only suspect — but she also finds something she was not looking for: an emotional and romantic relationship with her client."

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The film's cast includes one Oscar winner, Jeff Bridges, and two Oscar nominees, Glenn Close and Robert Loggia.

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Filming began on 1/12/85 and was completed on 3/2/85, after 1 month, 7 weeks or 49 days of shooting.

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Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, who had gone to London to research another film, met with director Richard Marquand to work on the final draft of the film.

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