Edge of the World (2021 film)

Edge of the World (also known as Rajah[lower-alpha 1]) is a 2021 adventure drama film directed by Michael Haussman and starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the British soldier and adventurer James Brooke (1803–1868), the first White Rajah of Sarawak. The film also features Atiqah Hasiholan, Dominic Monaghan, Hannah New, and Josie Ho. The script was written by Rob Allyn, who also produced the film.[1] Edge of the World is a co-production between Malaysia, China, the US and the UK.

Edge of the World
Film poster
Rajah
Directed byMichael Haussman
Story byRob Allyn[1]
Produced byJosie Ho
Conroy Chi-Chung Chan
Rob Allyn[1]
Starring
CinematographyJaime Feliu-Torres
Edited byMarco Perez
Music byWill Bates
Production
companies
Margate House Films[1]
852 Films[1]
Release dates
4 June 2021 (US)
9 March 2023 (Malaysia and Brunei)
Running time
104 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
  • Malaysia
  • China
LanguagesEnglish
Malay

Plot

The film is based on the true story of the Rajah of Sarawak, James Brooke, who has been suggested as one of the inspirations for the Rudyard Kipling story The Man Who Would Be King, and Joseph Conrad's novel Lord Jim. Brooke was a former soldier in the Bengal Army who sailed to Borneo which was still under the control of Bruneian Sultanate in 1839, where he helped the Sultan of Brunei's governor (Pengiran Indera Mahkota, title for the governor) put down a local rebellion and took over as governor of what became the Raj of Sarawak as his own private kingdom. He was knighted by Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom prior to being appointed Governor of the new Crown Colony of Labuan. Brooke's dynasty lasted three generations and spanned a century.[3][4]

Cast

Production

Rob Allyn, the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Margate House Films, was interested in filming the life of James Brooke, after being introduced to the figure through a footnote in a George MacDonald Fraser novel, which he read in 2009. More research on Brooke led him into a fixation.[6] He also came across a coffee table book in a Singapore bookstore, named "The White Rajah of Sarawak" with illustrations of Sarawak tribes and jungles.[7] After thinking about the film for 3 years,[6] Allyn and his production company tried to make the story into film since 2013, initially naming the film as "The White Rajah".[8] Later Jason Brooke, grandson of Anthony Brooke, representing Brooke Heritage Trust, contacted Allyn and invited him to make the film in Sarawak instead of Indonesia.[7] The Trust also gave the Allyn access to various images from the Brooke family for film production.[7] In September 2016, government of Sarawak endorsed the plan and channeled RM 39.01 million through Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, and Sports Ministry to fund the project. However, later cost overrun increased the cost to RM 48.57 million (US$ 15 million).[9] The project also received 30% cash rebate from "Film in Malaysia" Office, a division of National Film Development Corporation Malaysia for choosing Malaysia as a filming location and working with a local production company.[7][10]

Allyn wrote the film and also produced the film with his sons Conor and Jake, along with Josie Ho, and Conroy Chan.[11] In 2019, the film was renamed to just "Rajah" and the list of starring actors was released in September.[12] Principal photography was shot in entirety in Sarawak, starting from 24 September 2019 until the end of October in the same year.[6][13] All film shots were completed in Siniawan, Bau District.[14] The film was made with the support of the Sarawak Tourism Board. The Brooke Heritage Trust was a technical advisor.[15]

In February 2021, the movie was again renamed to "Edge of the World".[16] Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired US distribution rights in March 2021.[11][17] British distributor Signature will release the film in the UK.[18]

Release

Edge of the World was released in the US through Direct-to-video (VOD) and online platforms on 4 June 2021,[17][19] then in the UK digitally and on DVD on 21 June 2021.[20]

During the 5th Malaysia International Film Festival in July 2022, the movie was selected as the opening film.[21]

In Malaysia and Brunei, the film has been slated as Rajah in the countries and scheduled on 9 March 2023 in cinemas.[22]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 56% approval rating based on 34 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Although it falls short as a biopic of the fascinating figure at its center, Edge of the World offers a visually and dramatically engaging glimpse of Victorian-era colonialism."[2] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 42 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[23] According to some reviewers, the movie resembles Apocalypse Now, especially in the clash between Brooke (Captain Willard) and Mahkota (Colonel Kurtz).[24][25][26][20]

Jamie Bush, a cast member of the movie complained that the film does not reflect the true history of Sarawak.[27] However, Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Minister Abdul Karim Hamzah replied that it should be treated as a movie instead of a documentary.[28]

Edgar Ong, a Sarawak-based filmmaker, commented that the film "failed to perform as well as it should but undoubtedly, it would find its niche in television repeats."[29]

Notes
  1. in Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam

References
  1. Wiseman, Andreas (3 November 2020). "'Rajah': BBI Boards International Sales On Jonathan Rhys Meyers Period Movie, XYZ On North America — AFM". Deadline. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  2. "Edge of the World (2021)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  3. "StackPath". www.thehollywoodnews.com. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  4. S, Ian; well (15 March 2021). "First trailer for Lord of the Rings and Vikings stars' new movie Edge of the World". Digital Spy. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  5. "'Edge of the World' wows Malaysian International Film Festival 2022". Dayak Daily. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 12 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  6. Simek, Peter (March 2020). "Rob Allyn's Crazy Dream To Make a Movie in Borneo". D Magazine.
  7. Cheang, Michael (6 July 2017). "White Rajah: Malaysia's first Hollywood epic film". The Star (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 8 November 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  8. Wong, JHL (21 September 2016). "No sex please, he's..." The Star (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 2 December 2016. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  9. "Ministry exceeds allocation on 'White Rajah' movie". Dayak Daily. 29 November 2017. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  10. "Film in Malaysia - foreign application". Film in Malaysia. Archived from the original on 16 July 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  11. "Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires U.S. Rights To 'Edge Of The World' Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers". uk.movies.yahoo.com. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  12. "Report: Hollywood actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers set to play James Brooke in upcoming White Rajah movie". The Borneo Post. 22 September 2019. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  13. Ten, Marilyn (24 September 2019). "Rajah film to debut at Cannes Film Festival next year, will feature Sarawakian ethnic actors". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  14. Ong, Edgar (5 June 2021). "'The Edge of the World' – Its online world premiere on 4 June". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  15. "Rajah Brooke movie filmed in Sarawak retitled 'Edge Of The World', set for June release". The Star. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  16. Cheang, Michael (19 February 2021). "Rajah Brooke movie filmed in Sarawak retitled 'Edge Of The World', set for June release". The Star (Malaysia). Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  17. "Edge of the World (2021) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  18. "First UK trailer for 'Edge of the World' drops (Video)". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  19. Bilington, Alex (22 April 2021). "Official US Trailer for 'Edge of the World' with Jonathan Rhys Meyers". Firstshowing.net. Archived from the original on 20 February 2022. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
  20. "'The Tudors' star plays 1840s adventurer in 'Edge of the World' trailer". British Period Dramas. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  21. Ten, Marilyn (4 July 2022). "'Edge of the World' selected as opening film for 5th Malaysia International Film Festival". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  22. Sim, Ashley (28 February 2023). "Win tickets to 'Rajah' movie premiere and meet cast on March 4 by joining 'Greenleaf Rajah Movie Contest'". DayakDaily. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  23. "Edge of the World (2021) Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  24. Bahr, Lindsey (2 June 2021). "Review: A familiar adventure story in 'Edge of the World'". Associated Press. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  25. Le, Phuong (14 June 2021). "Edge of the World review – swashbuckling white saviour biopic feels out of date". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  26. Catsoulis, Jeannette (3 June 2021). "'Edge of the World' Review: The Man Who Agreed to be King". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  27. "Rajah movie's version of Sarawak history 'bizarre, disastrous', claims cast member". The Borneo Post. 10 March 2023. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  28. "Minister: 'Rajah' is a movie, not a documentary". Dayak Daily. 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 20 March 2023. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  29. Ong, Edgar (16 September 2023). "Sixty years of Sarawak on the silver screen". The Borneo Post. Archived from the original on 17 September 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
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