Man on a Ledge (2012)

"Today's the day that everything changes, one way or another." After Nick Cassidy (Worthington), a convict doing 25 years for theft, escapes from custody he ends up in a hotel. After his planning is complete he climbs out on a ledge in order to prove his innocence. This is an exciting movie that is very tense almost from the beginning and doesn't let up till the end. Not only are you on the edge of your seat wondering what Nick will do, but there is also a diamond heist going on at the same time that keeps you holding your breath. For this type of movie the cast isn't really all that amazing, but this is an exception. The cast is super in this and that actually adds to the enjoyment and gives the movie a more serious feel. This is a movie that keeps you guessing all the way through and is full of excitement. There were a few over-the-top scenes that made me laugh, but the movie was good enough to overcome those parts. I highly recommend this one. A really fun "popcorn" movie. Overall, very entertaining and fun to watch. I liked it. I give it a B+.

"Man on a Ledge" is a movie in which a man contemplates jumping to his death. Who is he? Why is this his chosen method of suicide? And why is he so insistent on dealing with a particular police negotiator?

Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) is an escaped, convicted diamond thief with an elaborate plan to clear his name. After checking into an upper-floor room at Manhattan's Roosevelt Hotel, he orders a hefty meal, then exits the window and positions himself on a ledge. People below notice him and soon the police are called in. When a cop attempts to talk him in, Nick asks to speak with a different negotiator, Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks).

Mercer has been ostracized by her peers recently because she lost a previous jumper. Her self-assurance has been tarnished, and she is perplexed as to why this potential suicide has requested her. The cops dust for fingerprints to identify the would-be jumper, but the room is clean. So Nick's identity remains unknown to them for quite some time.

Ms. Banks never convinces us that she has risen to the rank of detective and been entrusted to such sensitive work as negotiator. She has fashion model looks, and doesn't have the command the role requires. A better casting choice would have been someone like Frances McDormand, Debra Monk, or Stockard Channing -older women who could convey a harder edge than Ms. Banks.

Much of the plot involves a scheme Nick has engineered, and we gradually see it unfold. It is convoluted, depends on split-second timing, and is the kind of plan that could work only in a screenwriter's imagination.

Worthington ("Avatar") is adequate as the enigmatic man on the ledge, though he fails to bring any distinction to the role. His Nick is determined to call the shots, and it soon becomes obvious that his threat to jump is masking a far more clandestine plan.

The supporting cast is impressive. Jamie Bell plays Nick's brother, Joey; Anthony Mackie is Nick's former co-worker; stone-faced Titus Welliver plays the cop in charge of the operation to get Nick off the ledge; and Edward Burns plays Det. Dougherty, the negotiator Lydia replaces.

As a thriller, "Man on a Ledge" works reasonably well. A large part of the movie involves an intricate caper that occurs as Nick teeters 25 floors above the street. The mystery unfolds as the police, Nick's family, a wealthy businessman (Ed Harris), dirty cops, and Nick himself converge in the film's denouement.

Rated PG-13, "Man on a Ledge" is not a bad movie, just a so-so one. There's a sense that we've seen the film before and the screenwriter has cobbled together scenes from previous movies. For a theatrical film, it has a decidedly TV-movie feel, although the crowd scenes and New York filming are impressive. Asger Leth is a competent director, not an inspired one. He has a good sense of pace and the movie never bogs down.

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Sam Worthington is convicted of a crime he claims he did not commit. He goes out on the ledge of a building, in what we know early on is a diversionary tactic as he conspires with his brother (Jamie Bell) to prove his innocence. He requests Lydia "Grim Reaper" Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) to be the person to talk him down. By the nickname, her track record of talking people down has been less than desirable. She is hungry to save someone while fighting her hangover.

The film uses a good intense sound track to raise the thriller level as Jamie and his girlfriend (Genesis Rodriguez) attempt to prove Worthington is innocent.

Good intensity. Minor expected twists.

F-bomb, no sex, no nudity, Genesis Rodriguez in bra/panties.

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I don't normally write reviews unless it is really good or really bad. This movie was really good; one that I would watch again. It kept my attention throughout, with surprise plots. I thought the actors did a great job. It is one of those movies where you can't figure out who is the good guy and who is not...(without giving too much away). If you liked the movie The Negotiator, you will most likely like this one.

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Great movie, would recommend. Great suspense, drama, and action. With a good plot and cast in the movie. Liked it allot story line is good X-cop setup goes to prison and then plots his revenge and eventually gets it.

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