Genre: Drama, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Released: 2012
Rating: 
While the film has a riveting concept, I’m still having trouble believing Sam Worthington as a leading man. He’s just not engaging enough to allow me to emotionally connect and invest in his characters. That was a major problem for me when it came to “Avatar”, “Terminator: Salvation” and “Clash of the Titans”. Well, “Clash of the Titans” was just a terrible movie. “Avatar” was visually stunning but nothing more than “Ferngully”, “Pocahontas” and “Dances with Wolves” in 3D. It’s just hard when he’s the lead star of the film and you want to invest his characters. Though, I found the concept intriguing and I was entertained enough to keep my interest until the very end. It’s just that when you walk out the theatre, you realize you’re not blown away and could have waited for the DVD.
“Man on a Ledge” stars Sam Worthington (“Avatar”), Elizabeth Banks (“Zack and Miri Make a Porno”), Edward Burns (“Saving Private Ryan”), Anthony Mackie (“The Hurt Locker”), Ed Harris (“The Rock”), Jamie Bell (“The Adventures of Tin Tin”) and Genesis Rodriguez (“Entourage”).
»Watch Kevin’s interviews with the cast
The film opens and we meet Nick Cassidy (Worthington), a desperate man who has decided to step out on to a ledge of a New York City hotel. We have no idea, which immediately hooks the audience in because we really want to know what’s going on. As the film progresses, the pieces start to unfold and we learn that Nick has been convicted and sent to jail for twenty-five years to life. He was convicted of stealing a multi-millionaire diamond. However, he claims that he is innocent and will stop at nothing to prove this. At the request of Nick Cassidy, The NYPD bring in Lydia Mercer (Banks), a negotiator who specializes in talking people off the ledge. As the film goes on, we start to realize that every move Nick makes is part of some plan to prove his innocence. I don’t want to give too much away so I’ll just say that Jamie Bell plays his brother in the film. Bell and his co-star Genesis Rodriguez play two very important characters in trying to prove Nick’s innocence.
The major positive about the film is that it hooks you from the start. The minute he steps on that ledge, you want to know why and what the outcome will be. That right there is the reason you sit through the rest of the film. Regardless of any poor acting or screenwriting, you are invested and want to know what will happen. The problem is, once everything is said and done, it really isn’t worth your twelve bucks in the theatre. Sure, you were slightly entertained with a bland leading star and a decent plot structure. All in all though, it’s not a very memorable film.
Without giving anything away, I have to say that the ending is beyond cheesy. That is one of major reasons I’m recommending a rental/matinee viewing for this film. I just don’t like when films end the way this one did. I can’t say much more but you’ll see what I mean when you see it.
I would steer more towards the rental on this movie. It’s a perfect movie to sit home and watch on a Saturday evening in your living room, hence the 2.5 BDK rating out of 5.