Why did Kevin Spacey publicly label his own 2005 thriller a bad movie?

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The 2005 thriller Edison, featuring a star-studded cast including Morgan Freeman and Justin Timberlake, was intended to be a gritty crime drama. Instead, it became a critical disaster, eventually going direct-to-video. Even Kevin Spacey, one of its leads, famously singled it out as a low point in his career.

Written and directed by David J. Burke, Edison follows a young rookie cop, Raphael Deed, who discovers his elite tactical unit is deeply corrupt. Alongside a persistent journalist named Joshua Pollack, Deed attempts to expose the unit's criminal activities, which involve theft, drug dealing, and murder. The narrative centers on the tension between the F.R.A.T. unit's brutal methods and the systemic corruption reaching up to the district attorney, Jack Reigert, and his money-laundering front, Better Edison.

The film's production history began in May 2003 when Emmett/Furla Oasis acquired Burke's spec script. By December 2003, Millennium Media had signed on to finance the project, with major stars like Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey attached. Justin Timberlake joined the cast in February 2004, marking his feature film debut. Despite the high-profile talent, the project struggled significantly after its September 17, 2005, premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Critics panned the film, leading to the cancellation of its planned theatrical release in the United States and most other countries. It was eventually released direct-to-video on July 18, 2006, under the title Edison Force. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a dismal 11% approval rating from critics, with an average score of 3.1/10. The film's reputation was further cemented in September 2017 when Kevin Spacey, responding to a social media prompt about bad movies, simply replied with the film's title.

While some viewers speculated the film was based on real-life police controversies in the New Jersey township of Edison, director David J. Burke maintained that the title was chosen for its association with Thomas Edison. He argued the name evoked themes of electricity, power, and industry, rather than any specific geographic location. Ultimately, the film serves as a cautionary tale of how even a high-wattage cast cannot save a project plagued by poor critical reception and behind-the-scenes distribution hurdles.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

Intellect Plus is a visual educational discovery platform for exploring fascinating facts and ideas. Brain Food, Not Brain Rot. What is Intellect Plus?

Related

• How a $100 Million Sci-Fi Comedy Became One of Cinema’s Greatest Financial Disasters
• Why a Sylvester Stallone thriller spent years gathering dust on a studio shelf
• A star-studded crime drama that earned just six hundred dollars on its opening weekend.
• Why a box-office hit became one of the most reviled films of 2005
• Why a high-budget buddy cop film became a legendary on-set disaster
• How a 1983 British comedy-drama became a career-defining moment for Michael Caine
• A 1930s utopian experiment in the Galápagos Islands descends into a deadly power struggle.
• The actor who balanced Broadway stardom with a literary scandal
• Why Tim Burton Made a Black-and-White Biopic About Hollywood's Worst Director
• How a childhood drawing became a dark fairy tale of isolation
• From shrimp boats to the pinnacle of college football
• A murdered man reincarnates as a housefly to exact revenge in this Indian blockbuster.

More in Films · More in Entertainment · Latest · A–Z · All topics