Man on a Ledge is some of the most ridiculous fun you’ll have in a theater. It’s stupid. It’s implausible. But it’s fun. With a title like Man on a Ledge, you should know what you’re getting yourself into and by 10 minutes in, you’re there – on the ledge…with the man. The plot is dumb, the characters are foolish, and the whole scenario is played out. But it’s fun. There are laughs, there’s some action, there’s some suspense, and a bit of sex appeal thrown in there as well. You’ll get your money’s worth but you should probably save your money.
Nick Cassidy (played by Sam Worthington) is the Man on a Ledge. He checks into a nice hotel with plenty of exposure, orders breakfast, and then goes outside of his window and onto the ledge. Don’t worry, the entire movie isn’t about the ledge…there is more than meets the eye. You are given some back story, cryptic clues and then left to figure out what’s going on. But again, don’t worry, the script is made for five year olds and everything is laid out for you so you don’t have to think too hard. This is definitely a popcorn flick so actually there is no thinking involved at all. Before you know it, you’re in a totally different movie but there’s still a man on a ledge.
Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks on the ledge...
This is the kind of movie where you sit back and escape for a couple of hours. If you liked Tower Heist, you’ll enjoy this one too … it’s in the same vein of mindless fun and retribution for the underdog. Ed Harris is the top dog and misplaced in this movie by strides. Joining him is Anthony Mackie as Mike Ackerman, Nick’s old partner, Edward Burns as Jack Dougherty, another cop, and Elizabeth Banks as Lydia Mercer, the cop negotiator requested to talk Nick down. Jamie Bell is Nick’s brother and his girlfriend is the hot hot hot Angie (played by Génesis Rodríguez). I don’t know if this was an inside joke or just terrible casting but Kyra Sedgwick plays a somewhat Hispanic news reporter called Suzie Morales…heavy on the Morales.
Suzie Morales
No one really acts. They don’t really need to…the movie is called Man on a Ledge. The movie is straightforward and leaves you the same as you entered. They screened this movie for a full month so they’re banking on a lot of word of mouth and they will probably get it – audiences left this movie with smiles and chatter. It’s a movie for everybody and a movie for nobody as it doesn’t really teach you anything but there’s no barrier to entry either. Just a mindless story that didn’t really need to be told. There’s so much to laugh at…but, it’s fun.
Tags: Anthony Mackie, Ed Harris, Edward Burns, Elizabeth Banks, Génesis Rodríguez, Jamie Bell, Kyra Sedgwick, Man on a Ledge, Sam Worthington
Matthew Fong created advancescreenings.com and is the lead contributor. He watches every type of movie and will try almost anything twice. You can follow him on twitter here: @matthewfong
