"The Naked Edge" was unfortunately Gary Cooper's final film however, it was a good one. It reminds you of the Alfred Hitchcock thrillers of the 1940's wherein the star (Cooper) is a mysterious character whom his wife Martha (Deborah Kerr) suspects of murder.
Rewinding to the start, George Radcliffe (Cooper) is testifying at the trial of self proclaimed alcoholic Donald Heath (Ray McAnally) accused of murdering a colleque of Radcliffe's for a large sum of money. Heath is found guilty. Radcliffe's testimony was that he overheard the murder and had pursued the assailant to the boiler room of the office building where Heath was discovered.
After the trial, Radcliffe and Martha are followed by a mysterious stranger. Radcliffe confronts him but is unable to discover why the stranger had been following him. Radcliffe tells Martha that he is about to enter into a partnership with Morris Brooke (Michael Wilding) in a business that will make them both very rich. George tells Martha that he got the money for the partnership by making a "killing" in the stock market.
Six years go by and a mail bag lost over that time is discovered. The mail bag it turns out contains a letter to George from a Jeremy Clay who was trying to blackmail George back then. Martha becomes suspicious and begins to doubt her husband's innocence and starts to suspect him of the murder. George does little to discourage this belief warning her not to pursue her fears.
Both George and Martha search for Clay. George misses him but Martha tracks him down. Clay (Eric Portman) turns out to be the stranger that followed them following the Heath trial. Martha also goes to meet with Mrs. Heath (Diane Cilento) and discovers what her husband's alleged crime has done to their lives.
At their meeting, Clay reveals that he was at the scene of the crime and knows who the real killer was.
Martha becomes increasingly paranoid and fears that George may turn on her. George does little to alleviate her fears. He is unable to produce the papers creating the business partnership which would prove that George didn't use the proceeds of the murder to finance his portion.
George keeps showing up unexpectedly from business appointments and scaring the day lights out of the audience and Martha. Then one night..........................................................................
Cooper steps out of character to play an unlikeable character in the the suspicious George. Deborah Kerr is great as always as the fearful Martha. Filmed in England, the rest of the cast consists of seasoned British actors Portman as Clay, Peter Cushing, Ronald Howard as lawyers and the irrepressible Hermoine Gingold as Martha's friend Lilly Harris.
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Rewinding to the start, George Radcliffe (Cooper) is testifying at the trial of self proclaimed alcoholic Donald Heath (Ray McAnally) accused of murdering a colleque of Radcliffe's for a large sum of money. Heath is found guilty. Radcliffe's testimony was that he overheard the murder and had pursued the assailant to the boiler room of the office building where Heath was discovered.
After the trial, Radcliffe and Martha are followed by a mysterious stranger. Radcliffe confronts him but is unable to discover why the stranger had been following him. Radcliffe tells Martha that he is about to enter into a partnership with Morris Brooke (Michael Wilding) in a business that will make them both very rich. George tells Martha that he got the money for the partnership by making a "killing" in the stock market.
Six years go by and a mail bag lost over that time is discovered. The mail bag it turns out contains a letter to George from a Jeremy Clay who was trying to blackmail George back then. Martha becomes suspicious and begins to doubt her husband's innocence and starts to suspect him of the murder. George does little to discourage this belief warning her not to pursue her fears.
Both George and Martha search for Clay. George misses him but Martha tracks him down. Clay (Eric Portman) turns out to be the stranger that followed them following the Heath trial. Martha also goes to meet with Mrs. Heath (Diane Cilento) and discovers what her husband's alleged crime has done to their lives.
At their meeting, Clay reveals that he was at the scene of the crime and knows who the real killer was.
Martha becomes increasingly paranoid and fears that George may turn on her. George does little to alleviate her fears. He is unable to produce the papers creating the business partnership which would prove that George didn't use the proceeds of the murder to finance his portion.
George keeps showing up unexpectedly from business appointments and scaring the day lights out of the audience and Martha. Then one night..........................................................................
Cooper steps out of character to play an unlikeable character in the the suspicious George. Deborah Kerr is great as always as the fearful Martha. Filmed in England, the rest of the cast consists of seasoned British actors Portman as Clay, Peter Cushing, Ronald Howard as lawyers and the irrepressible Hermoine Gingold as Martha's friend Lilly Harris.
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