'The Edge of Love' review

Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley (Credit: Capitol)

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Childhood friends Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley) and famed poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys) are reunited in Britain during WWII, but Thomas' free-spirited wife Caitlin (Sienna Miller) stifles any romantic possibilities by quickly bonding with Vera. The awkward love triangle becomes even more complicated when soldier William Killick (Cillian Murphy) successfully woos Vera, gets her pregnant, leaves for the war and then returns a changed man.

The buzz: Lindsay Lohan was originally set to play Caitlin, only to drop out shortly before filming began (but not before letting it slip to the media that the role includes “lesbian undertones”—a very, very minor part of the finished product). It seems like a win-win to hire Miller as her replacement—she’s also heavily covered by the tabloids but has better credentials as a dramatic actress (see: “Interview”). Still, given the impressive cast and historically oriented subject matter, it doesn’t say much for the film’s arthouse potential that it’s being released by a tiny distributor outside of award season. Even Knightley’s so-so vehicle “The Duchess,” was treated better than that.

The verdict: A stylish, classy drama that only works as intermittently involving psychological character study, making it one tough sell for American audiences. It's truly bizarre to imagine Lohan—a bit of casting that might have pushed the film toward parody—in the mix. Unfortunately, the tantalizing "what if?" mystery of that narrowly averted disaster ultimately proves more beguiling than Maybury's finished product. As it is, the tone of “Edge of Love” remains deadly serious. And while the four stars are in fine form, none reach the kind of career high that would have made the film a must see.

Did you know? Knightley, rumored to be in contention for a starring role in a “My Fair Lady” remake, does her own singing in multiple nightclub scenes here. The nicely atmospheric soundtrack also features vocal contributions by Siouxsie Sioux and Madeleine Peyroux.

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