Man on a Ledgehits similar snags throughout, as it cuts back and forth between Cassidy threatening to jump, the police in the hotel room trying to figure out who he is and what he wants, the businessman - who is given no establishment at all the first two or three times we see him - and the brother and girlfriend attempting to steal the diamond. This latter aspect to the story seems like a different movie from the suspenseful man standing on a narrow ledge.Jamie BellandGenesis Rodriguezplay the pair who have to be the worst diamond thieves on the planet. It makes sense. They arent supposed to be experts, but believing how quickly they think on their toes - when they arent bickering like an old married couple - and how easily they seem to get themselves out of tight spots is a fools errand.
Jeremys Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Review: Decent Enough Thrills Can Be Found with_ hair play,The man on that ledge is Nick Cassidy, played bySam Worthington, an escaped prisoner who checks into a hotel in downtown New York City one day and climbs out onto the ledge. He threatens to jump, and, as the police, along with Officer Mercer, a psychologist played byElizabeth Bankswho attempts to talk the man down, become increasingly distracted, his brother and brothers girlfriend commence a nearby heist. Their target, the diamond Cassidy was convicted of stealing that will serve as both evidence for his innocence and against that of the villainous businessman, played byEd Harris, who set him up.
Leths direction givesMan on a Ledgeits first concern early in the film. After Cassidy checks into the hotel, eats a nice meal, wipes the room clean of fingerprints, and slowly makes his way out the window, the film hits a snag, a big one. Instead of carrying that intensity through to the next scene, it flashes back to show us the events around Cassidys escape from prison. This flashback offers its own thrills and suspense - and actually gives the film a car chase, which it wouldnt have had otherwise - but the intensity level built in watching a man climb out a window and look at the street r below him, which is a well-crafted shot in of itself, is gone. The same information Leth shows us by flashing back could have just as easily been delivered to us through dialogue, a debriefing of sorts for Banks psychologist, who surely got such information once she hit the scene.
Man on a Ledge, the new film directed byAsger Leth, never hits the depths of dullness its name implies. It doesnt exactly rev the engines from frame one, either. Hand-holding at times, drab for a majority of its running time, and not the most memorable of heist thrillers, [adult school] Nostalgic notes: Music brings back memories of youth (0) 2011-12-27 14:42:8 it sits on that ledge for a large portion, daring to take the leap. Luckily, it finally does and ends up being above average for this brand of casual, movie-going experience. They could have chosen a much more interesting title, though.Continued below!
This is especially the case once things begin to heat up. As the diamond heist nears its end and Mercer begins to believe in Cassidys innocence, the real intensity of the film begins. The last act, which keeps us on the ledge at times as well as travels around the hotel during a nicely crafted foot chase, will leave any n of exciting action and darihair playng Review: Decent Enough Thrills Can Be Found with_ hair playstunts satisfied. Its nowhere near the bulk of the movie, but theres enough weighty action to leave an impression, to really kick-start the adrenaline before the incredibly heightened, and equally ridiculous, final stunt makes itself known.
The actual man on the ledge aspect to the film is interesting enough. Worthington is a charismatic enough actor when his Australian accent isnt bleeding all over the films soundtrack and his hair is fighting for screen time. Banks is spot-on as Mercer, the only police officer Cassidy can trust. Her back-story helps, that of a past suicide attempt that ended in both a saved life and a level of celebrity for the her. The two play off each other well in the conversation moments on the ledge, a laid back game of mouse and mouse where theyre trying to determine who the cat and his friends are.
Casual and less than exciting as it is as times,Man on a Ledgeends up delivering enough, solid exhilaration to make up for jerky pacing, squabbling side plot characters, and general down-time it goes through for much of its running time. The diamond heist is built to be suspenseful, but, at this point, there isnt anything fresh being offered in stories about heists. Not that there couldnt be. There just isnt here in this film. But the film keeps enough of your interest for enough of its length to make the final moments really matter.Man on a Ledgefinally jumps, sticks its landing, and sends everyone home reasonably satisfied. For this kind of mainstream thriller, thats about as much as you can ask for.
I liked it. Good action/thriller but I am glad I didnt pay to see it. Too many Holes and a little slow at times.
These moments work so well because of the films actors, but Leth has to get some of the credit, too. His camera moves around the ledge, out away from the building, and even up over Cassidy as he stands looking down at the building crowd below. Its all there to build tension and not bring attention to itself, and thats why it works so well. Leth has a great use of his camera, giving us shots that would be physically impossible for the human eye to see without the benefit of camera equipment.Man on a Ledgehits a snag or two in structuring, but as r as shot composition goes, this man is a fresh director to watch.
