Over the Edge 1979

In the seemingly idyllic community of New Granada, Colorado, the daily rhythms of life are set against the backdrop of The Rec, an adult-supervised haven where teenagers can freely socialize. It’s here that Carl and Richie, two young friends, often gather to pass the time. However, their carefree existence is disrupted when Police Sergeant Doberman, fueled by suspicion, confronts them about a recent freeway sniping incident. Despite being questioned at the police station, they’re eventually released to their parents. The next day, Carl meets Cory, a newcomer who’s hesitant to reciprocate his affections (“I don’t go out on dates,” she matter-of-factly remarks). Undeterred, Carl continues to get to know her better, and as the evening wears on, he joins Richie for an impromptu adventure at a local house party. But when the police arrive to shut down the festivities, Carl departs alone, only to be brutally assaulted by Mark, the actual culprit behind the freeway sniping.

Meanwhile, Carl’s father is struggling to attract out-of-town investors to New Granada, but his efforts are thwarted by Carl, who decides to take matters into his own hands and booby-traps their car. Later, Carl, Richie, Cory, and a group of friends embark on a picnic adventure, accompanied by a pistol that Cory had pilfered during a break-in. For fun, they engage in a lighthearted game of target practice until they exhaust their ammunition. Claude, who’s recently been arrested for possession of hash, reveals that he obtained the drug from Tip, a local student-turned-pusher. However, when Cory inadvertently exposes Tip’s recent arrest, the group decides to pay him a visit and extract some answers. Under intense questioning, Tip confesses to having informed Doberman about Claude’s hash habit, leading Richie, Carl, and Claude to exact a fitting revenge by dumping Tip into a nearby pond as his horrified mother watches from the sidelines. Her subsequent descriptions of the boys to the authorities only serve to fan the flames of panic. In response, Richie steals his mother’s car, and he and Carl make a hasty exit. Tragically, their flight ultimately ends in disaster when Doberman gives chase and Richie produces a gun, aiming it at the officer before being fatally shot in self-defense.

The following day, Carl makes a stealthy return home, only to eavesdrop on his mother’s phone conversation about a community meeting set to take place at the local school that evening. Seizing this opportunity, he slips back out to alert his cohorts, who subsequently decide to confront their parents at the gathering. However, when police officers arrive on the scene, locking away their firearms in their patrol cars, the situation rapidly devolves into chaos. The kids promptly chain up the school’s doors, light fireworks, and proceed to ravage the parking lot. As tensions escalate further, they manage to break into the police vehicles, extract shotguns, and ignite multiple vehicles with explosives, triggering a series of blazes throughout the area.

As reserve officers finally arrive on the scene, the youths disperse, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Doberman, Carl’s acquaintance, apprehends him but is subsequently targeted by Mark, the freeway sniper, who blows up Doberman’s car, causing it to crash and burst into flames. Carl manages to free himself from the wreckage, abandoning the unconscious Doberman within the smoldering vehicle. The latter ultimately perishes in a massive explosion.

When we next catch sight of Carl and his companions, they are being herded onto a school bus, which then sets off towards a juvenile detention facility. From atop an overpass, Cory and Claude bid farewell to Carl as the bus disappears into the distance, destined for its eventual destination.