Edge of Fury

The film opens with a psychiatrist’s voiceover about Richard Barrie, a young war veteran and troubled artist who has asked to be confined. As he paints on the shore, police move in to arrest him, setting a somber tone for his unraveling. The scene frames Richard as both artist and potential criminal, foreshadowing the events to come.

In a flashback, Richard discovers a beach cottage for rent and reserves it for Florence Hackett and her two daughters, Eleanor and Louisa. The women meet him in a grocery store, and Florence is won over by his manners and charm. This marks the start of his self-appointed family project.

Richard’s coworker at the local bookstore recognizes him as disturbed and socially isolated. She urges him to follow his doctor’s advice and try to make real friends beyond the Hackett family. This exchange hints at his fragile psyche and foreshadows the jealousy to come.

At the cottage, Richard sets himself up to stay weekends in a shed, feeling he’s building a home for the four of them. Louisa wants the guest room kept free for her boyfriend, which forecasts friction to come. The arrangement starts with a tenuous peace.

Richard grows jealous when Louisa and her boyfriend openly express their attraction for each other. She taunts him, reinforcing his sense of being a nobody and increasing his paranoia. The emotional pressure pushes him toward irrational behavior.

During a beach walk, Eleanor kisses Richard, who insists he sees her as part of his 'family' rather than a romantic partner. The moment deepens Richard’s confusion about boundaries and fuels his growing tension.

Louisa suggests Eleanor go on a date with an acquaintance, implying Richard might realize he’s letting someone good slip away. The exchange amplifies Richard’s insecurity about his place with the Hackett women.

Richard throws a dinner party in his shed, but it falls flat. He then discovers Eleanor and her date embracing on the beach and responds by trashing the cottage rooms in a jealous outburst. The scene marks a clear breaking point in his control.

Eleanor confronts Richard after his violent outburst, and he lashes out by physically abusing her. Louisa accuses him of wrongdoing, and Florence demands an apology or that he leave. The confrontation signals a rapid deterioration of Richard's self-control.

Richard mutilates the portrait he painted of Florence and leaves it where Florence and Eleanor will find it, signaling his break from any semblance of stability. Florence calls Louisa for help, and Louisa arranges for a neighbor boy to stay overnight for protection. The household slides toward tragedy.

The neighbor boy arrives as a precaution, but Richard stabs him to death and then murders Florence. The violent escalation is complete, and Louisa and Eleanor are left to confront the horror.

Louisa and her boyfriend return to find the cottage in chaos, and Eleanor runs from the scene. Richard has fled, leaving Florence’s body behind as the consequences of his actions crystallize. The house stands as a silent witness to the carnage.

The film returns to the opening moment, with Richard calmly painting on the beach as police arrive to take him away. The quiet art contrasts with the violence that preceded it, underscoring the film's unsettling cycle of fixation and murder.