by no mean should this movie be call the razor edge . that this movie use that title demean the excellent novel so well craft by the novelist w. somerset maugham . part of what make the book wonderful be the frame narration by an outside source so that larry be always just a construction by another and a person we never really know and who remain as mysterious a his quest and his sense of enlightenment . with murray movie and we do not even have the character who be suppose to tell the story it be like try to film the great gatsby and except without nick carraway . the movie transmogrify the wonderful quality that maugham invests in larry an indescribable smile that show the warmth and generosity of his heart while a spirit that never rise to anger and that give in a christ like manor which suggest the pure version of altruism know and untainted by self interest while an elusive sort that we never can encapsulate and change them into murray own strong suit represent witty retort direct at dull people and low emotion alcoholism couple with outburst and clown for the camera . murray larry be not the pure soul who captivate a famous writer he be the man from ghostbusters and try every now and then to be serious . many of these quality be anathema to the character he be to be portrayingand i be hop to see some completely different side of bill . the plot change be ridiculous represent larry drive an ambulance instead of fly a plane while he go with gray rather than by himself while sophie and her husband be marry at the begin rather than later while larry and isabel sleep with each other while sophie a prostitute instead of a whore and she fall truly in love with larry rather than dutifully and a she do in the novelthe only way that her leave him make sense . isabel indiscrete shouting in a dignified restaurant wreck the grace of her character while the confrontation between sophie and isabel be maddeningly trite and destructive to any subtlety that the movie might wish to preserve . gray and rather than be the commonplace everyman and be instead some spidery sort supposedly war mate with larrya foolish depth to a relationship well leave at it tenuous state and a the book do . in order for larry character to make sense and he need to be leave alone during the war and rather than have some mate from chicago there to observe his transition . the end result be a palate of flat and rather dull character who belong to a soap opera rather than the host create by maugham and individual who make poor decision at time and but who and nonetheless and we can never wholly condemn . in the book and our ethereal vision of larry be temper by the compassionate portrait of suzanne and elliot and gray and isabel and sophie . in the movie and we must subsist wholly on an unbelievable murray playact for the camera but never even approximate the earnestness and rigor of maugham larry .