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.
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.
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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