Man On A Ledge (2012) [Blu-ray]
Crime | Thriller

In the film critics call a "white-knuckle action thriller," ex-cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington, Avatar & Clash of the Titans) escapes from prison to plan the ultimate heist: steal a $40 million diamond from cutthroat businessman David Englander (Ed Harris), and in the process prove his innocence. From the ledge of the famous Roosevelt Hotel, with the whole world watching, Cassidy plays a clever game of cat & mouse with the NYPD while his dutiful brother Joey (Jamie Bell) works against the clock to extract the diamond and reveal the truth.

User Comment: MosH from MI, USA, 4 January 2012 • As you'd expect, "Man on a Ledge" is a Swiss-cheese plotted heist and "prove his innocence" movie but taken as just that, it's quite an enjoyable movie. I suppose after having seen enough of these kinds of movies, I shouldn't expect perfection in how every plot thread is tied up since very few movies manage it. However, what the movie does excellently is setup the plot and build up the situation perfectly. Just starting as a literal man on a ledge, we see subtle layers added until we get this full on crescendo of diamond heists, negotiators, cops, convicts, bad guys, good guys all happening on in a single block in New York. So, given that you're willing to suppress your tingling plot-hole sense, it can be an enjoyable movie.

The cast is quite good and the acting and tension is par for the course. The leads Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks do a great job. Seeing Worthington as an ex-NY cop, ex-convict and Banks as a negotiator/psychologist with a past is surprising on paper but they manage to pull it off very well. However, Jamie Bell is one of the heist-team but his opposite who plays Angie make for some cringe-worthy comedy, like some Sofia Vergara slapstick in the middle of a tense situation. Ed Harris looks emaciated but equally sinister as the villain and there are a host other minor NY characters.

I can hear the Hollywood pitch for the movie in my head, "it's like The Negotiator combined with The Italian Job but happens in NY and instead of a hostage situation we have a jumper." And, essentially it's just that – a movie that heavily recalls other movies from the past except perhaps for the man on ledge. On a side note, it seems that every NY movie nowadays has a reference to the OWS movement and what a typical OWS protester might look like.

The movie is at its best when it clamors for our hero who desperate and is fighting all odds to clear his name as he shouts from his ledge, "I am innocent and this is my retrial." The movie is at its worst when it's ungainly roping in all the plot threads it cast out but can't seem to put it together. Overall, it's a good enough movie for people who like these kinds of movies. If you've caught yourself bitterly berating the many plot holes in heist movies, maybe this isn't for you.

Summary: A decent thriller/heist movie. Full of the usual plot-holes though!

User Comment: alexis17-920-791094 from sweet Vancouver, 5 January 2012 • The trailer doesn't give away too much - I thought yeah, maybe. However, I won free tickets so there I was at preview night. And guess what? The movie turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It manages to hold you on the edge of your seat. There are several turns and twists. Plus it's the guy from Avatar, Sam Worthington who plays a former cop, now fugitive,Ex-con Nick Cassidy. Never seen him in anything else, just Avatar 3 times. He's sexy and believable. His Australian accent did come out a few times, but on the whole it was endearing. The only thing he takes off is his jacket and "the ledge". Most of the movie takes place entirely on a N.Y. Manhattan 21st floor hotel ledge. The crowd notices, and YEs we have a JUMPER. I loved the crowd scenes, I wished there were more close ups on some of the screaming dialogues. There were great characters in the crowd, News team and your typical good/bad cops, Swat and Tactical teams. Oh, yes the fire department. The cast was well chosen. Ed Harris, played the sinister millionaire perfectly. God he's good. Jamie Bell, plays our leads' brother...Joey Cassidy-he's awesome too. He tricks and worries us several times throughout the film. His partner in crime, Kyra Sedgwick, plays Suzie Morales, his girlfriend with a past, is beautiful, (for all you straight men- especially when she's in her undies) and their dialogue is total comedy slapstick. I loved them, I totally laughed and wanted to see more. Elizabeth Banks, the police psychologist, was perfect also in every way. The movie does not have any major violence or profanity but the heist is exciting. I liked it and would see it again.

Summary: Man on the Ledge - 2012.

[CSW] -3.0- This movie is pretty good. The cast is phenomenal; they do a great job all around. This is somewhat comparable too the ocean series...or the Italian job. So it does not excel in originality. But what it does excels at is performance, there's a spot for each character to show great emotion. If you like your movies with some twists and turns sprinkled with some action, you should pick up this one. However the script, while clever initially, feels quite contrived. It just doesn't hold water, from simplistic dismantling of security systems to instantaneous assumptions of innocence. So the ending will break your suspension of disbelief. But the poor ending was short and didn't spoil an otherwise entertaining and enjoyable way to spend an evening; just don't think too hard about it.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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