Man On A Ledge

Some sniffy reviews out there for Man On A Ledge, but I’m not entirely sure why. Sure there’s some plot holes, but name me a crime caper that doesn’t? OK, this is hardly Rififi, but it is good for a Friday night viewing after a week of hard slog. Anyway, so there’s Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), a man who eventually ends up on a ledge of a high rise hotel following the opening of the film in which we see him (as a prisoner) escape from his guards whilst attending his father’s funeral. However, this isn’t a suicide bid, but a distraction from a robbery being attempted nearby. That’s not a spoiler by the way as the trailer (and poster) pretty much give a lot of the game away. To say too much more though would spoil the rest of the story. As I said, this isn’t without its faults, but it’s entertaining stuff made more impressive when you know that this is the big screen debut of both director (Asger Leth) and screenwriter (Pablo F Fenives). Despite having Worthington standing mainly motionless on the side of a building for a good portion of the film, Leth delivers a product that fairly shoots by. It’s aided by two amusing turns from Jamie Bell and Genesis Rodriguez as Cassidy’s partners in crime. Bickering as they go along they provide the films main laughs, but Leth is also able to generate a few moments of nerve racking tension from them as the robbery ensues. Though having Rodriguez strip down to undies and push-up bra at one point smacks of studio “advice” if ever I’ve seen it. After all, isn’t that the standard get up of most robbers? Fenives screenplay is a solid, if unspectacular, effort, but it does throw up a few smart ideas especially in the scene where Cassidy holds a simultaneous conversation with police negotiator Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) using such words that, unbeknown to her, are also communicating with his brother (Bell) at the same time. Worthington filmed up on that ledge for real and Leth takes advantage of it giving us some impressive static and sweeping shots of the high rises of NYC. The film falls down slightly in its minor pokes at the hyperbolic US news coverage, but does address the sad situation as to why so many people come to watch a person on the verge of ending it all from a great height. Worthington has started to become a bit bland since he first appeared on the scene, but he’s a lot better here, infusing Cassidy with a believable sense of hurt and desperation (though his accent becomes WA on quite a few occasions). Less great on the acting front is Banks, scarcely believable as a ball-busting cop, and Ed Harris (looking scarily skeletal) as the films scene chewing hard-edged businessman (i.e. the villain). So it’s not a total blast, but for first timers at least Leth and Fenives give it a go and who’s to mock such ambition? Plus, any film that ends with the The Clash’s barnstorming version of Police On My Back on the end credits deserves an extra mark.

The OC Film Sting Final Verdict
Ludicrous in parts, but dammit, you can’t deny it’s fun. Rating: 8/10.