Man On A Ledge - Film Review
By Cliff Ponting, 19th Feb 2012 | Follow this author
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Review of the new feature film Man On A Ledge starring Sam Worthington ,Elizabeth Banks and Ed Harris.
Man On A Ledge - Review
When I first saw the trailer for this film, I thought it was going to be one of those films that keeps it focused on one spot, closed off like Phone Booth or Devil. Was this film like those others? Well in a way, it was and in a way, it wasn’t. I was worried about this film as I thought the cast looked a bit weak, but I was hoping the inventive plot would balance everything out. Speaking of the plot, let’s get started explaining how it all goes. Sam Worthington plays Nick Cassidy, an ex-cop and current con who escapes from prison only to publicize his freedom by entering a hotel and threatening to jump off the ledge in front of a busy intersection, full of camera crews and bystanders watching. Nick demands that the head of the police force (Edward Burns), contact a special negotiator named Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), in order to convince him to come down from the ledge without jumping. The truth is that Nick is stalling for his younger brother (Jamie Bell) and his girlfriend (Genesis Rodriguez) to break into a tycoon’s vault (Ed Harris) and steal something valuable while everything is watching Nick on the ledge.
The advantage of those previously mentioned films is that it focuses the story to maintain its position on a small, isolated little place, which can allow for more in depth character development. The film somewhat just gives the you the semi appearance that it’s going to all take place on the ledge, when in fact; much of the film has things happening all around in other locations so the sense of isolated tension isn’t delivered as effectively as it could have been. The use of suicide jump as a distraction for a jewel heist is actually a very clever idea and as the film gets further along with the heist, which is where most of the enjoyment and tension comes from. Things start kind of slow and the fact we focus so much on a fairly bland performance from Worthington doesn’t help the situation or make us believe he’s going to jump anymore than Elizabeth Banks character does.
As I said before, most of the more entertaining aspects occur during the heist and especially when Banks and the rest of the cast starts to realize this whole suicide act may actually be a stunt. Jamie Bell and Genesis Rodriguez worked well off each other and I found their chemistry and dialogue together provide quite a bit of amusement and enjoyment. I was really getting more out of watching them break into the vault, rather than the titular character/situation with Banks and Worthington.
Ed Harris is always fun to watch and I found that he plays the villain role quite well, and that is the case here as well…except we barely see him onscreen enough to even remember he’s supposed to be the bad guy in this film. Harris barely got any screen time or dialogue, he’s the focal point of all the trouble and yet they didn’t seem to be able to find enough elbow room for him to actually make a more impressionable presence. The music and camerawork deliver everything you’d expect from a tense thriller like this and I felt that they at least managed to do their job properly. Despite the large portion of flaws in this film, the film’s story is what really wraps together best by the time the credits roll. I knew the film had problems and even through the good parts, I was still aware of them. However, the end of the film concluded every aspect; detail and plot point so nicely that I couldn’t help but walk out of the cinema with a decent sense of overall satisfaction. The main issue was resolved, there were plenty of surprises, I felt better about the characters as the story progressed and I just felt good watching how the story ultimately turned out.
Usually with bad films, you know you felt your time was wasted the minute you’re finished watching it, but this was not a bad film and I actually felt genuinely good and positive how it all turned out by the time the film ended. “Man on a Ledge” leaves you satisfied with a perfectly wrapped/cleared up story that covers all its bases and leaves you feeling good at the very end. The banter and chemistry with Bell and Rodriguez was enjoyable, I always enjoy Banks performances, and from what very briefly we got of Harris was pleasing. Bottom line, this film isn’t spectacular but it’s an all around, average, good film to sit back and watch for an hour or two. Nothing grand but you know what, not bad either.
Comments
20th Feb 2012 (#)
quite good
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