I won't recap the plot as other reviewers have done so quite adequately. Those who think Gary Cooper (who might well have suspected his days were numbered as he'd just undergone an op for prostate cancer) turns in less than his usual powerful performance are incorrect in my view. He underplays in his typical style, but I discern no failing of his powers. True, his role lumbers him with having to respond to his wife's perfectly reasonable suspicions in a way that is consistently ambiguous, and one might argue he feels hurt that he should have to explain his innocence to someone who should trust him implicitly, so he's purposely evasive — except he's already argued against that very position early in the film, accepting that sometimes one can demand proof even where convention dictates it shouldn't be necessary. The obvious conclusion is that it was a plot device to keep him firmly in the frame for the murder throughout.Yes, the music is rather blaring and obvious at times - a common feature of British thrillers in the '50s/'60s. The composer, William Alwyn, was quite the polymath, and very experienced - he'd written around 70 film scores in the preceding 20 years. Perhaps the style was what was ordered, and not entirely of his own choosing.This is a must-see for fans of Gary Cooper and of Deborah Kerr, who here is both radiantly beautiful, and effective in her role. Overall, I enjoyed the movie which, like many Hitchcock films, has some creaky moments and plot inconsistencies, but certainly keeps the tension going right to the end.

I recently watched this film on video and found myself fast-forwarding through it. It moved very slowly and was difficult to follow and there was way too much talking. All I knew was that Gary Cooper's (his last film) character was witness to a murder while working late in his office one night and that his wife (Deborah Kerr in a really bad performance) suspected that he did it. I believe that there was just no comparing this film to "Psycho" that it didn't even make "Psycho"'s shock grade, except maybe for the murder scene at the very beginning. I don't know if Gary Cooper was ill at the time of the shooting but his performance is very wooden and lifeless. Deborah Kerr was also very disappointing. I've seen the both of them do a much better job. Pass on this one.

The suspense of this film evokes the work of Alfred Hitchcock. It doesn't quite live up to such a comparison but nonetheless the plot and character interactions should rivet most viewers to the film. Creative shot selection (especially the preparation of the wife's death), fine performances (especially from Deborah Kerr), and a compelling plot create an entertaining movie experience, 7/10. I think this was Gary Cooper's last screen performance.

***** Mild Spoilers Ahead *****"The Naked Edge" is the last film that the famous American actor Gary Cooper was in, wrapping up a career which lasted for over thirty years.In "The Naked Edge", Gary Cooper portrays a business man who has been accused, but acquitted of murder. After the trial, Cooper's character becomes very wealthy through investments in the stock market. His wife(Deborah Kerr) opens a letter which contains blackmail threats against her husband. She begins to suspect that her husband may have truly committed the murder and begins to do some investigating of her own. What she discovers leads her to conclude that he was the murderer. Her husband is aware of her conclusion and it begins to look as if he may kill her too!Deborah Kerr, as usual, delivers a terrific performance. Gary Cooper does his best with the dialogue and the role he is given, but it isn't enough to make this film believable to the discerning viewer. The dialogue between the characters is contrived to leave every situation open to the possibility that Gary Cooper is the murderer. The result is that the film quickly becomes annoying. I felt jerked around as a viewer. The film would have turned out better if the director would have been stabbed instead of the victim in the movie! It's not nice to patronize your audience when you are making a serious mystery or suspense film. It's too bad, because both principal actors, Deborah Kerr and Gary Cooper deserved better. I'm not going to go into how irritating the musical score was in this movie. Let's just say it takes melodramatic background music in a film to new lows.It's a shame I can't give this movie a better review because I so wanted to like it. Thankfully, the superb acting talents of Deborah Kerr and Gary Cooper can be seen in many other great movies which they starred in. Sadly, I rate this movie only a 70/100.