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Man on a Ledge

Release Date 03 Feb 2012 TBA

  • User rating
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.
  • Critic rating
  • Currently 2/5 Stars.

  63% of raters want to see this movie

Certificate: 12A

Genre: Suspense | Thriller

An ex-cop turned con threatens to jump to his death from a Manhattan hotel rooftop. The NYPD dispatch a female police psychologist to talk him down. However, unbeknownst to the police on the scene, the suicide attempt is cover for the biggest diamond heist ever pulled. The psychologist and the con find themselves romantically attracted and might just end up partners in crime.

Cast:
Jamie Bell | Anthony Mackie | Ed Burns | Genesis Rodriguez | Kyra Sedgwick | Ed Harris | Sam Worthington | Elizabeth Banks

Writers:
Pablo F. Fenjves | Chris Gorak

Producers:

Directors:
Asger Leth

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  • Critic rating
  • Currently 2/5 Stars.

Movies.ie Critic Review

MAN ON A LEDGE (USA/12A/102mins)

Directed by Asgard Leth. Starring Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Ed Burns, Kyra Sedgwick, Ed Harris.

THE PLOT: Having escaped from prison, former NYPD detective Nick Cassidy checks into a New York City hotel so that he can end it all. With a little tribute to Harold Lloyd’s Safety Last. Or maybe he’s just trying to kickstart the Disgraced Cops For Justice campaign? Could the whole thing be an advertising stunt? For a new Summit Entertainment film? Whatever the motivation, we’re soon questioning Nick’s every move, every plea, as a string of negotiators (amongst them, Banks’ jaded cop and Bell as Nick’s younger brother) try to talk him back from the ledge. Either way, it doesn’t take long before we the audience smell a rat. We certainly smell it long before director Asger Leth (making his directorial debut) reveals it to us.

THE VERDICT: As tantalizing film titles go, Man On A Ledge isn’t exactly up there with Snakes On A Plane. Then again, Colin Farrell managed to make Phone Booth stretch to 81 minutes without boring the audience, so, there was some hope here. It’s soon dashed by what’s up on screen though, as the corny dialogue and behind-the-beat plotting has us secretly willing Nick to just jump and put us out of our misery. Only Kyra Sedgwick, as a hard-nosed, self-loving New York TV reporter seems to be having fun here.
RATING: 2/5

Review by Paul Byrne 

  • Avg User rating
  • Currently 3/5 Stars.

User Reviews

    • Currently 3/5 Stars.

    mart

    There's something endearingly deranged about Ed Harris's performance as a conniving businessman ( ... ) perhaps he realised that the film wasn't going to be as good as we hoped and that he might as well pretend he was related to John Malkovich.

    • Currently 3/5 Stars.

    filmbuff2011

    Man On A Ledge is one of those "it does what it says on the tin" movies, but there's nothing too wrong with that. It's an enjoyable enough popcorn film with plenty of twists and turns in its intricate web of a plot. The titular man on a New York ledge (Sam Worthington) is an escaped convict, out to prove his innocence after being framed for a crime by shady millionaire and property developer Ed Harris. Like the recent Tower Heist, the story taps into the current trend in watching the 1% get their comeuppance at the hands of the 99%. Sam Worthington is as bland as ever, but there's a good cast of supporting actors including the eye-catching Genesis Rodriguez. Had this been directed by the late Sidney Lumet, this would have been a thought-provoking thriller with a real New York flavour. It's instead serviceably directed by Asger Leth, who does a decent job of keeping the plot running. Even if one scene at the end is so implausible that it could only happen in the movies...

    • Currently 4/5 Stars.

    eamonn halpin

    I enjoyed this film. Would probably rate it about a 3.5 stars. The scenes on the ledge are well shot and there are enough twists and turns in the film to hold the interest.

    • Currently 3/5 Stars.

    vu1999uk

    Solid enough thriller with plenty of twists and turns. The scenes on the ledge are spectaculor as well.

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