Review of Man on a Ledge (2012) by Stevenf — 24 Sep 2013

It's apparent not too long into 'Man on a Ledge' that the premise of it is more than it seems, as Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) takes to a ledge on one of the highest floors of a New York hotel, but it's immediately clear that he doesn't have much intention of jumping, that a sleight of hand is in place.

Without giving too much away, it's pretty clear that Nick Cassidy isn't up there for the view, or to leap off to his death, but what follows is aiming too much above its weight to the exhausting point of this steak being overdone.

We are lead down a path of conspiracies and ulterior motives, this is when it's easy to realise that the movie acts a lot more seriously than it should, a preposterous twinning of two stories leaves the film fun and cheerful, but not as dramatic as it is trying to be.

What irritates me is the fact that we start off with Nick climbing to the ledge, where we then see a month before where he is in prison, what could have been set up here is a simple dramatic piece of a man seeing error in his decisions, but instead a thriller with many shady characters and money falling from the sky to create diversions, this turns into a heist, to mask a thievery that didn't, emm, actually happen.

Elizabeth Banks plays the negotiator who attempts to talk Nick down, she has her own regretful past as she sees that Nick isn't who he says he is. As a thriller, this certainly isn't a a dull affair, with plenty of pulsating action and several twists and turns throughout, but it's also entirely ridiculous and over the top, trading what was a good thing.

The lead characters each bring something to the table, but in the grand scheme of things, they get lost in all the flashy ideas that we are given and they must settle for playing second fiddle to an over-arching story.

Worthington plays a calm and collective individual on the ledge, but he is much more interesting on the ground when we learn about his past, but the chemistry between himself and Banks feel real and worthwhile.

Supporting cast members Anthony Mackie and Titus Welliver deliver solid albeit limited performances, they have significant roles yet small appearances throughout the film. This sums up just how big and serious the film attempts to be, but everything is too co-ordinated to the point where the heroes never seen to be in danger, it's a fun thrill, but one which is playful and entertaining, not one which is too convincing in its execution.