Man on a Ledge centers on Nick Cassidy, a man who has stepped out onto the ledge of the Roosevelt Hotel in midtown Manhattan. The trailers have already ruined it for you, but basically, he’s not out there to jump. Instead, the film is more about revenge. First-time director Asger Leth, directs an impressive cast including Sam Worthington (Avatar), Elizabeth Banks (The Next Three Days), Edward Burns (Newlyweds), Anthony Mackie (Real Steel), Jamie Bell (The Adventures of Tintin) and Ed Harris (Gone Baby Gone) to name the majors. Among the supporting are Kyra Sedgwick (TNT’s The Closer), William Sadler (Shawshank Redemption), Titus Welliver (FX’s Sons of Anarchy) and Terry Serpico (FX’s Rescue Me).
Nick’s (Sam Worthington) plot for revenge involves so many different elements that magically turn out the exact way they are planned. It’s very typical of Hollywood movies, and yes, they are meant to entertain, but there has to come a point where movies throw in SOME believability. If you can look past that element, the execution is very complex and the heist is thought out, so I do appreciate that element. It’s also worth mentioning that his accent was really muddled here. I could never tell if he was supposed to have it or not. Same goes for Jamie Bell. They are brothers, so perhaps they are going for a somewhat Irish accent? No idea, but it left me confused.
Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) is the police negotiator who’s called upon to bring Nick off the ledge. Her first scene is completely gratuitous, as she is awoken by a phone call and answers in a tank top and panties. It immediately degrades her character and establishes her as the pretty blonde cop that’s trying to be taken seriously. From then on, she is in constant battle with every officer she meets, with seemingly no one to back her up. Banks does what she can, but her character is not completely flushed out, so some decisions seem to happen out of nowhere.
The character most ripe for his own story is David Englander played by Ed Harris. He devoured each scene with so much rage and passion that I was unsure of his motivations. He’s got all the qualities of a mastermind villain, but he’s basically just a real estate tycoon. When the plot unfolds, it turns out to be way more simple than I would have expected from such a meticulous and powerful man.
Edward Burns and Titus Welliver embodied their characters and were truly enjoyable to watch as tough cops in the NYPD. Kyra Sedgwick got laughs every time she pronounced her name with a Spanish accent. The NYC audience was not fooled.
The title of Man on a Ledge leaves little to the imagination, but is actually a reference to how police refer to the situation. I can imagine a policeman shouting, “We’ve got a man on a ledge!” It may have sounded good in production, but when released, it seems like just a really obvious description. It’s got such an incredible cast, it will probably do modestly, but likely be forgotten in a few weeks.
Rating: Leaves little to the imagination, nothing special. 5/10
Last July, another film was released, The Ledge, and I mistakenly thought it was this film, Man on a Ledge, because it just so happens, that I actually work across the street from the Roosevelt and saw all the notices of filming. (Also, our editor-in-chief, Alex DiGiovanna was an extra in the film as a street cop!) The Ledge (read my review here) is truly the story of a man on a ledge because he is thinking of jumping and the entire film is working up to why he’s out there. It stars an amazing cast with Charlie Hunnam (FX’s Sons of Anarchy), Patrick Wilson (Insidious read Alissa’s review) and Liv Tyler (Lord of the Rings). It’s a shame that this film did not get a wide release, but it is available on demand at SundanceNow.com, iTunes and Amazon Video.
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