Edge of the World – An Interesting Biopic (Early Review)

Jonathan Rhys Meyers or Dominic Monaghan have not appeared in many feature films over the last few years, let alone a good one. But Edge of the World is an eye-opener for sure, particularly the former’s portrayal of the famous explorer Sir James Brooke. Like many who will see this film, they are sure to not know much about James Brooke. Having looked up the man and his exploits and as with any film that depicts a “true story”, it’s better to take the film with a pinch of salt as there is no way for us to know exactly what happened to this man and his men in Brunei.

Edge of the World saw James Brooke (Myers) set sail with his crew to escape his life in England and found paradise when he landed in Brunei. He is depicted as a very kind man and open towards the native people of the Island. He was popular with the men in charge. That was until he was named “Rajah”, a kind of leader amongst the native people. This did not sit well with one of the other leaders such as Mahkota (Bront Palarae). From there, horrible events unfolded which put Brooke in a difficult position where he would have to fight.

To put things into context, the way of life in Brunei is much harsher than in the western world as Brooke and his men were required to adopt local customs and abide by local laws. In Brunei, it is not unheard of for a man to behead another man if he feels slighted. As hostile and primitive as this may seem to westerners, in 18th century Brunei, this was the way of life. Meanwhile in terms of performances, Meyers’ performance as Brooke was commendable. For an adventurer, Meyers portrays Brooke as a man who has clearly seen the horror of war and never wants to revisit it. Monaghan is also worth mentioning as the loyal yet independent Crookshank. However, the better performances were by far by the actors and actresses who portray the native people of Sarawak.

The lush background of the Malaysian rain forest serves as the area where Brooke and his men finally settled. This brings a certain authenticity to Edge of the World as the actual location where Brooke lived wasn’t too far away from where this movie was actually filmed. For a western man to become “King’ of an Island nation thousands of miles away from his homeland without shedding a single drop of blood is worthy of a feature film. It’s almost contrary to what the English were known for.

In that sense, Edge of the World is one of the better stories to be captured on film.

still courtesy of Vortex Media

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