Man On A Ledge Review

30th Jan 2012

Man on a ledge zips along at a decent enough pace it is kind of hard to talk about it without giving away a few of the twists and turns along the way. For the full enjoyment of this film it is probably better that you know as little as possible, so I will attempt to cut round the facts the narrative without spoiling too much.

Sam Worthington plays Nick Cassidy – a man who one day walks into a nice hotel, books into a room, eats a meal, wipes down and cleans the place afterwards and then steps out the window onto the ledge high above the street – it seems with the full intention of heading straight back to his maker. Within moments a crowd has gathered, the police and media are on site and Nick (talking under pseudonym) asks for Elizabeth banks negotiator.

We learn in flashback that Nick is a former police officer who was sentenced to jail for the theft of a diamond belonging to Businessman David Englander (Ed Harris). 2 years into his sentence his father dies and whilst being allowed to attend the funeral alongside the likes of his former partner (Anthony Mackie) and his brother (Jamie Bell) he stages an escape.

So now we are here with Nick on a ledge claiming his innocence as he talks to the cops and shouts at the crowd. Whilst this is all going on his brother is planning a bit of a special robbery!

You get all this information in the first act of the film. It’s how the film sustains the tension that will be what makes or breaks it with viewers. The film-makers are not trusting enough of their premise to stay on that ledge the whole time. So don’t expect a Phone Booth type one location thriller, although clearly it is playing in a similar league to that film.

The twists and turns that happen throughout though do beg belief – and often rely on certain characters doing certain things that are a bit contrived in order to reach the end goal. But as long as you don’t mind a bit of contrivance, it’s an affable enough affair.

Elizabeth Banks doesn’t quite fit the role of negotiator, but it’s nice to find her on the side of the law where she isn’t being chased (Last year saw her in a similarly budgeted release The Next three Days which covers similar territory for a film coming out around the same time). Kyra Sedgwick pulled the short straw as a media reporter who frankly disappears midway into the film with little to do. Ed Burns pops up early on and also ends up in a role with little to do once Banks is on the scene.The most fun you are going to have is probably in the scenes with Jamie Bell as he carries out his heist.

In the end, Man on a Ledge is three-star entertainment at best suffering mainly from flaws in its script, but it bounces along quickly enough to keep you entertained even if it is all instantly forgettable afterwards.