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Edison

Edison

In this city, only the cops are above the law.

200599 minRMidcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Director
David J. Burke
Starring
Morgan Freeman, LL Cool J, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Spacey

In the troubled city of Edison, a young journalist, his jaded editor, and an honest investigator from the district attorney's office join forces to gather evidence against corrupt members of an elite police unit.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Edison?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Edison streaming on Peacock and Tubi (free).

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Highlights

What stands out about Edison?

Edison earns 6 badges, led by Overhyped and Award Winner.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is Edison worth watching?

Edison's Midcredits score is the 17th percentile of all films, from 21K ratings across 4 sources. 24% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

17th percentile

Better received than 17% of films

29th percentile among Action17th percentile among 2000s
Acclaim (how much people like it)24th
Approval (how many liked it)14th

53 /100

24th percentile of all films

37th percentile among Action24th percentile among 2000s

Rating distribution

The crowd leans negative, with most ratings sitting in the bottom half of the scale.

24% liked it

14th percentile of all films

24th percentile among Action12th percentile among 2000s
24% rated it 7–1076% rated it 1–6

Critics 11% · Audience 36%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 1 wins / 0 noms overall

90th percentile

21K ratings across platforms

82nd percentile among Action83rd percentile among 2000s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 72% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$25M
Worldwide gross$4.2M

Returned 0.2× its budget — 49th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A standard corrupt-cop thriller with a star-studded cast but a formulaic, predictable story.

Fans praised

  • Strong ensemble cast with Freeman, Spacey, McDermott
  • Fast-paced action sequences and exciting shootouts
  • Dylan McDermott's intense, believable performance as the villain

Detractors panned

  • Timberlake's wooden, unconvincing lead performance
  • Generic, cliché-ridden plot with no originality
  • Ridiculous, over-the-top action finale with flamethrower

What stands out

ActingDivisive55

Freeman and Spacey professional but underutilized; McDermott standout as menacing villain

PacingDivisive55

Starts strong, drags in middle before manic finale

Effects and spectacleDivisive45

Over-the-top finale with flamethrower, RPGs, and improbable firepower

TensionDivisive45

Occasional effective menace but undercut by unconvincing stakes

Plot and storyDivisive40

Predictable corruption story with gaping logic holes

Characters40

Thinly written stock archetypes with shallow motivations

Dialogue40

Unmemorable, sometimes forced lines with clichés

Originality20

Derivative of Training Day, Serpico, countless other corrupt-cop films

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 4 points apart
  • Critics vs users 7 points apart
  • US vs non-US 3 points apart

Watch experience

What is Edison like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Tense and gripping: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want something tense that holds you to the end.

It is intense and leaves you thinking. Skip it when you want an easy night.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings.

What it feels like

Tense and gripping.

The answer rests on this: Moods
TenseDread
Heaviest: late
Register
Brooding: Heavy, inward, weather-beaten.Brutal · 7% of films
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its corrupt-police thriller straight, with a grim, serious tone.
The rideThe film maintains a tense, dread-filled atmosphere, with the heaviest emotional stretch in the late act as allies are killed and the hero's girlfriend dies.
StructureThe story unfolds chronologically as the reporter gathers evidence and faces threats.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Thinking.

Thought-provokingUnsettling
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves the viewer pondering systemic police corruption and feeling unsettled by the violence.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).Monster
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% (this title) · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Institutional injustice: A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).

21% of films fit this archetype

A loose fit — the map only half-holds this one.

Why this archetypeThe journalist uncovers a corrupt police unit and teams up with allies to bring it down, fitting the overcoming-the-monster pattern with the institutional injustice subtype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfJusticeMorality
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% (this title) · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16% (this title): Justice 13% (this title) · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9% (this title)
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Morality

Justice · 13% of filmsCorruption · 3% of filmsDeception · 9% of films
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film is about exposing systemic corruption in law enforcement and the justice system, and the fight for justice against a conspiracy that protects the guilty.
StanceThe film warns about unchecked police corruption and the complicity of the justice system, with community-level stakes as the rot infects a whole city.

The world

ContemporaryUrbanInstitutionalDomesticRealistic
Orchestral modernElectronicSupportive music · original score · Machine Head
Settinga corrupt police force in a small American city
MusicThe score blends orchestral and electronic elements, consistent with a 2000s action-thriller.

Content guide

Is Edison okay for kids?

R

Edison is rated R: “Rated R for strong violence and language, and brief drug use” (MPAA). As of August 31, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at severe (100/100), sexual content at mild (35/100), language at severe (100/100), drug and alcohol content at intense (75/100) and frightening material at intense (76/100). Its violence, language, drug and alcohol content and frightening material have too few votes to rank.

Ratings in 6 other countries
  • Germany16
  • France16
  • Greece16
  • Netherlands16
  • Poland16
  • Sweden15
Overall
Severe · all five categories
not ranked
Violence & Gore
Severe
too few votes to rank (4 votes)
Sex & Nudity
Mild · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for an R-rated film
heavier than 30%
Profanity
Severe
too few votes to rank (9 votes)
Alcohol & Drugs
Intense
too few votes to rank (8 votes)
Frightening / Intense
Intense
too few votes to rank (7 votes)

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Too few votes to rank this title overall (49 votes across 5 categories; ranking needs 10 in at least three).

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Edison have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Edison?

Cast

3 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Morgan Freeman
as Ashford
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
LL Cool J
as Deed
Justin Timberlake
as Pollack
Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Kevin Spacey
as Wallace
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Dylan McDermott
as Lazerov
Cary Elwes
as Reigert
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
John Heard
as Tilman
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Piper Perabo
as Willow
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Marco Sanchez
as Reyes
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Roselyn Sanchez
as Maria

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Edison?

Movies like Edison include City Hall (1996), Internal Affairs (1990) and Blackout (2022). Of the 12 closest matches, several are stories of institutional injustice, and several are films about corruption.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

8 of these 12 share its story type: conspiracy thriller. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Edison?

980 other films share the rarest tag below, kind of film: conspiracy thriller. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.