Survival stories seem fairly common, but good performances keep "The Edge" afloat. Stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after a plane crash, Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) and Robert Green (Alec Baldwin) have to rely on each other for survival, especially when they come across a hungry ursine (Bart the Bear).

I will admit that there's nothing particularly special about this movie - the plot is pretty routine - but it does give one a feeling of having to fend for oneself. It's likely to either make you want to go to Alaska, or fear it.

And you'd better learn to respect bears now...

Anthony Hopkins, a man with Bloomberg like wealth and without a Trump like personality his wife supermodel Elle MacPherson, her photographer Alec Baldwin and Baldwin's assistant Harold Perrineau are off on a rugged wilderness vacation in Alaska where they will stay at L.Q. Jones's hunting lodge. During the course of things the men go down in a plane crash in the wilderness.

For a man who you would think would be money and investment focused, Hopkins has stored up an incredible amount of trivial knowledge. Some of it turns out to be quite useful for his and Baldwin's survival. But there's a lot unspoken that eventually comes out as they try to walk out of the Alaskan forest.

Most of The Edge is centered around Hopkins and Baldwin and the spectacular landscape photographed in various Canadian locations. The two are quite an acting duel, a lot like Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine in Sleuth only not quite so civilized.

The Edge is quite the film for conservationists and nature lovers. The various Canadian National Parks is quite a tribute to that country's commitment to the environment. The scenery competes heavily with the human players and a ferocious Kodiak bear who plays a big part in the plot.

Billionaire Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) joins his model wife Mickey (Elle Macpherson) on a photo shoot with brash photographer Bob Green (Alec Baldwin) and his assistant Stephen (Harold Perrineau). Charles is a brilliant man with vast reserves of knowledge. Robert Green has the idea to go further into the wilderness. He convinces Charles to join him and Stephen. Bird strikes bring their plane down. Charles is able to save Stephen from the plane. The three men are forced to find their way to safety while being pursued by a bear.

I like that both men have their own flaws. At first, Charles looks like the smart one being maligned. However he shows that he can be wrong. I certainly like the two great actors together. I would probably leave the bear kill closer to the end. It's the most exciting point of the movie and needs to be the climax. The rest of it needs to be more compressed. The movie should end soon after Bob falls into the trap.