1970s Dark Thriller Gets Unearthed And Restored
There are so many underrated and underseen movies released over the years, and some of them can be pretty hard to find. That’s why it’s nice when a company like Shout Factory goes through the trouble of unearthing and restoring films like 1979’s dark thriller Over the Edge, which will be released on Blu-ray on March 5. This film has built up a cult following over the years, and it’s worth picking up this upcoming Blu-ray if you’ve never seen it before.
The film influenced Dazed and Confused, and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” has cited the film as partial inspiration.
Over the Edge was directed by Jonathan Kaplan and featured the film debut of Matt Dillon. The film also starred Michael Kramer, Vincent Spano, Harry Northup, Pamela Ludwig, Tom Fergus, Andy Romano, and Ellen Geer. Based on true events, the film takes place in the planned community of New Granada, Colorado, where teenage crime and drug use are high.
A teen named Carl has avoided falling into the same trap of his fellow teens, but finds himself on the run after a sheriff shoots his troubled friend and classmate Richie (Matt Dillon). Those who decide to pony up for the Blu-Ray release of Over the Edge in March will also find a ton of special features to enjoy, making it a great buy for fans of the film. Of course, it’s also restored in beautiful 2K, making it the best quality of the film available.
Along with the 2K restoration, the Blu-Ray release of Over the Edge will include an interview with director Jonathan Kaplan, an interview with screenwriter Charlie Haas, a seven-part retrospect documentary, the theatrical trailer, TV spots, and an interview with Kaplan about his father Sol Kaplan, who composed the film.
Over the Edge was directed by Jonathan Kaplan and featured the film debut of Matt Dillon.
There are also two different audio commentaries for the film – one with Kaplan, producer George Litto, and writers Tim Hunter and Charlie Haas and one with Michael Kramer and journalist Mike Sacks.
Although Over the Edge has a cult following now, it only got a very small theatrical release back in 1979. Apparently, the negative publicity of other youth crime films like The Warriors and The Wanderers caused the film to only have a limited theatrical release. It opened in eight cities in the United States.
As a coming-of-age drama, Over the Edge has had some surprising influence on movies and music of the 90s. Richard Linklater has said that the film influenced Dazed and Confused, and Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” has cited the film as partial inspiration. These are two cultural touchstones of the 90s that we can partially thank Over the Edge for inspiring.
Over the Edge will be released on Blu-ray on March 5.
Of course, Over the Edge is also notable for kickstarting the acting career of Matt Dillon, who was only 14 when he was found by the filmmakers. If you’re looking for a coming-of-age crime drama to check out, then definitely consider picking up this classic. Of course, if you’re a fan of the film, you probably already have your calendars marked to grab this Blu-ray release.
