Review of Man on a Ledge (2012) by Dave C — 20 Jul 2012

It feels like I have said this a few times in the recent months, but Man on a Ledge is a movie that didn't do well with professional critics but in my opinion will and can be enjoyed by the average viewer. In fact, for those who pay any attention to critical response, the lackluster ratings (worst movie of the year? Really?) can easily give this one an added boost by far exceeding those low expectations.

Man on a Ledge is a heist/thriller picture that utilizes (for the most part) a singular scenario through most of the picture. Like pics such as Phone Booth and Buried, this one places the central figure (played by Sam Worthington) on the ledge of a high rise in New York City. From here it branches out through a back story, some mystery surrounding the identity of the "man", and some supporting characters from the ground. Without giving anything away, the film brings us in on the full story about half way through before turning in to one big high rise chase scene that help add to the thrill of dangling over the edge.

Sam is decent here, as is Elizabeth Banks who plays the cop called in to respond to the case and try and talk the man off the ledge. Any chemistry between characters stops here though. Ed Harris isn't given much to work with at all, and essentially remains a backdrop to everything else. And the rest of the crew on the ground follow suit. Again though, this film isn't really about them. It's about standing on a ledge. And in part it is also about Sam's back story. And both of those are utilized well enough to carry this film. One can argue that the conclusion is abrupt and less than satisfying as it tries to close the plot that sits in the background. The movie could have given us more of Sam on a psychological level certainly. The plot itself fights against this in a way, and that's not always a good thing. There is potential for depth and tension that doesn't get used. In fact, that might be the factor that stands in the way of critical embrace. But the truth is the film is still exciting and still works even as the plot takes the potential for an intricate personal story and strings it in to a singular surface plot.

One last thing. Movie trailers these days tend to be an art form and film all to themselves. There are probably a few trailers for this film, but the one I saw was fantastic.