Capitol FilmsReview in a Hurry: Yet another period drama starring today's go-to young Victorian dame, Keira Knightley. Two couples flirt with love in the midst of war. One of these lovers is renowned poet Dylan Thomas. Turns out he's a grade-A jerk.
The Bigger Picture: The trailer for this WWII flick might read Atonement II, but this is not the case. Knightley stars as an English chanteuse (yup, she can sing!) who grabs the attention of a visiting solider (Cillian Murphy). They dance and fall in love but all under the jealous eye of her first love, Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys), and his wife, Caitlin (Sienna Miller). Since this is 1940s London, it's viva bohemian lifestyle!
Miller shines in the role of the overlooked wife. She's one of those celebs known more for her roles in gossip blogs than in films, but she's the real deal. In Factory Girl, Miller played '60s icon Edie Sedgwick—a woman around whom the world seemed to revolve—but here she takes a backseat as two men duke it out over Knightley. Both actresses have faces that the camera loves, but Miller manages to tuck away her beauty and, in the process, reveals a raw, vulnerable character.
In a first for WWII dramas, the film doesn't look like it was shot on celluloid. Edge of Love looks and feels like video from ‘90s. In the nightclub scenes, Knightley's face is oversaturated, her lips an unreal red. The war scenes aren't quite Cloverfield, but shaky cams abound.
This makes sense since the director, John Maybury, is a longtime video artist who's worked on productions for U2, the Jesus and Mary Chain and Sinead O'Conner, most notably the music video, "Nothing Compares 2 U."
Unfortunately, like the murky visuals, the story is also muddled. Loving other lovers' lovers isn't groundbreaking, and there's only so much free love a viewer can take. Which means the last act has the unintended effect of making you root for the guy with the gun.
The 180—a Second Opinion: Overall this is a misfire, but an interesting one. And shooting it like The Real, World London really suits the story (even though it takes place decades before video cameras existed). If you're into more esoteric, atypical fare, this is worth a rental.