Jagged Edge

In this hit thriller, a prosecuting attorney-turned-defense lawyer falls in love with a rich, charming client who's been accused of murdering his wife and her maid with a hunting knife. When an unknown assailant gruesomely slays San Francisco newspaper heiress Paige Forrester ( Maria Mayenzet ), her husband and business partner, Jack Forrester ( Jeff Bridges ), turns to corporate attorney Teddy Barnes ( Glenn Close ) for counsel. Teddy, who quit her job with the district attorney's office four years earlier over an ethical dilemma, has reservations about returning to criminal work; nevertheless, she accepts the assignment, convinced of Jack's innocence and eager to face off in court against her old boss, DA Thomas Krasny ( Peter Coyote ), who's about run for attorney general. With the help of investigator Sam Ransom ( Robert Loggia ), the recently divorced Teddy builds a strong defense for her client, though the work — and her incipient romance with Jack — cause strain in her relationship with her children. When Jack's innocence and his romantic intentions come into question, Teddy feels her life slipping back into a moral quagmire until a series of courtroom denouements set the stage for even bigger surprises. Big-name screenwriter Joe Eszterhas ' follow-up to Flashdance , Jagged Edge was directed by Richard Marquand , who had previously lensed Return of the Jedi . Parts of Jagged Edge were shot on-location in San Francisco, whose City Hall provides the film's courtroom exteriors. — Brian J. Dillard