Movie Review: Man on a Ledge
Are you scared that maybe you might spend 102 minutes watching a man on a ledge? That the title alone might lead you right down Phone Booth memory lane? Don’t be afraid, Man on a Ledge is more than that. I won’t go so far as to say it is outstanding, but it’s decent. Some might even say extremely satisfactory.
After exhausting his appeals and being sentenced to 25 years for a crime he did not commit, former cop and convict Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) attempts an elaborate plan to prove his innocence. What has the appearance of a suicide attempt is really much more. The thriller begins with Nick in prison, getting quite a beating, as one would assume most ex-cops receive in the penitentiary. He gets a visit from his former partner of five years Mike Ackerman (Anthony Mackie); they share a heartfelt moment when Mike explains to Nick that his dad is very ill and most likely won’t make it much longer. Shortly after that, Nick is allowed to attend his father’s funeral where his partner, brother and girlfriend are in attendance. Without giving too much away, this is where we break to Nick getting on the ledge in Manhattan. He is spotted on the ledge, crowds start forming, and police are called in, your basic hysteria. Nick asks explicitly to speak with police officer, Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks). Having researched her, and knowing her experience with jumpers. Working with her was all part of his plan to prove his innocence. Worthington, known for his role in Avatar just never really did it for me. Honestly his acting is just fair. Personally, I never really understood the appeal. You could detect his Australian accent from time to time which I also was unimpressed with, considering it was insinuated that the Cassidy family is Irish. As for Elizabeth Banks, she was good, but not great. She did have a kind of hot hung-over scene when her character was first introduced. But you never really get to know her, or to really like her.
Meanwhile, Nick’s brother Joey Cassidy (Jamie Bell) and Joey’s girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) go about the business of trying to prove that Nick did not steal the mega $40 million diamond he was sent to prison for stealing. The two interact together with great energy and are actually amusing to watch. Banter is excellent and chemistry is sizzling between them both. These two together are the exception to the film; you do really like them, even though the task they tried to accomplish was on the extreme end of far fetchdom. Basically, Nick is merely a distraction for the caper his brother is attempting in a nearby building, trying to keep all attention on himself by keeping the crowds going and loud. Of course you had the story hungry reporter Suzie Morales (Krya Sedgwick) working the crowds, getting the scoop in a typical, way you might imagine someone in the media would do. As a side bar and I have to mention this, I found it very unsettling that the director allowed there to be such a large crowd of New Yorkers yelling to the man on the ledge, “jump.” Really, is this a true depiction of the people in New York, or anywhere for that matter? I seriously doubt it. Maybe a few ding dongs here and there, but not an entire crowd.
Elizabeth Banks and Sam Worthington in “Man on a Ledge.” Photo by Myles Aronowitz – © 2011 Summit Entertainment, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
David Englander (Ed Harris) the real estate mogul with the missing diamond is, as always, the consummate performer. Ed does evil with malevolence. He has that way of maintaining the coolest of exteriors and in the next moment lets it rip. If you are an Ed Harris fan, you won’t be disappointed by his pungent but way too brief appearance.
Director Asgar Leth’s first time feature film is a time passer, but not a time waster. Overall what was lacking for me was the void in most of the characters’ development. Sadly, you never really got to a point where you really cared what happened to any of the main characters. What I did like about Man on a Ledge was that it was fast paced, with a respectable amount of wit. The humor might have been corny, but I did snicker. Would I classify this as a thriller? I think a thriller should thrill you, that didn’t happen for me.
Betsy Cizek
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