Writer/director Matthew Chapman delivers The Ledge with an honesty that grips you. It’s difficult to describe the story without ruining the whole thing, but I’ll try. Joe (Patrick Wilson) and Shana (Liv Tyler) move in next door to Gavin (Charlie Hunnam) and Chris (Christopher Gorman). Shortly thereafter, Gavin starts to make a play for Shana. What unfolds leads both Gavin and Joe to unimaginable actions.
The cast is minimal but very strong. Although I wasn’t quite sold on Patrick Wilson at first (The Switch, The A-Team, Insidious read Alissa’s review of it here), his performance as Joe unfolds slowly and scarily. He brings charm and confidence that became essential to the role. Liv Tyler (The Strangers, Lord of the Rings) also took a bit to gather momentum, but ultimately, she was able to really sink her teeth into the conflicted character of Shana.
The best performance by far was Charlie Hunnam as Gavin. I’m a fan of him as Jackson Teller on the FX TV show, Sons of Anarchy, so I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to separate him from that role. All of that melted away instantly. He was moving and inspiring even though some of the dialogue was very tricky. Luckily he was able to deliver it without it becoming hokey or fake.
Terrance Howard (Iron Man) was good as Detective Hollis, but unfortunately his character was not on the forefront and therefore was not as developed. I did enjoy seeing his storyline unfold as it was not expected. At times I felt he overacted a bit, but kinda give him a break because of the material he was delivering. Not knowing too much about a character, it’s difficult to judge.
The dialogue and storytelling are really natural and honest. Each scene and action contributes without being too heavy-handed. I also noticed how in Joe and Shana’s apartment, the furniture was very minimal and you could hardly see into each room. The doors and walls were always in the way and it felt tight and confined. On the opposite side, Chris and Gavin’s apartment was open and full of light with no walls between the living room and the kitchen giving a great sense of their openness.
Last but not least, it was so unbelievably refreshing to see atheism described with such honesty without prejudice. Each of the characters is dealing with problems and it’s how they deal with them that defines them. It’s great to see a film where faith in God and atheism are treated equally.
Charlie Hunnam as Gavin and Terrence Howard as Hollis in Matthew Chapman’s THE LEDGE. Photo by Cook Allender. An IFC Films release.
SPOILER I just have to mention this – I was very happy with the ending and I think each person will have a different perspective of what Gavin is thinking in his final moments. I personally think he was thinking about his satisfaction and his ability to give his life for Shana, because he couldn’t for his daughter. I did hear others say they thought he had a renewed sense of faith and was thinking about seeing his daughter again. I find this completely flawed and unfortunately typical of religious people. Maybe it’s just hard for them to accept someone as an atheist. END SPOILER
This is not going to be a movie that everyone likes. It’s probably going to really make people mad too. It’s a limited release film, so it will probably get brushed under the rug, but I enjoyed it immensely. I will, however, recommend it with caution.
Rating: Takes its time to unfold, but a purposeful thriller. 8/10
Available on demand right now or in limited release in theaters on July 8th, 2011.
Make sure to keep checking back for my article of the roundtable interviews with writer/director Matthew Chapman, Patrick Wilson and Liv Tyler.
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