Man On A Ledge

• Director: Asgar Leth
• Screenwriter/Written By: Pablo F. Fenjves
• Starring: Anthony Mackie, Ed Burns, Ed Harris, Elizabeth Banks, Sam Worthington
• Running Time: 102 mins.
• Language: English
• Rating: PG-13

Generally, one goes to a thriller to feel suspense, to thrill, to perch tensely on the edge of your seat for the ensuing roller coaster ride. In Man on a Ledge, the ledge is too wide, literally and figuratively, to get those juices flowing in a sustained way.

Man on a Ledge tells the story of an ex-cop turned fugitive who “risks it all” to prove his innocence of the jewel heist that put him behind bars years earlier. Trouble is, in the “nonchalant” portrayal of Nick Cassidy (Avatar’s Sam Worthington), you feel little of that risk. Worthington plays a character who might conceivably be on the edge of sanity, ready to jump off a building to his death rather than return to prison for the crime he did not commit, yet the emotional stakes and potential outcomes in this story are never laid out in a performance or screenplay that is credible or engaging.

At the opening of the film, you are supposed to believe that Nick wants to commit suicide and discover that this is not his intent. Too early on, you are clued into his game as his co-conspirators communicate with him through telephonic earpieces diffusing any thrill that we might experience in discovering his plan ourselves. To question Nick’s morality and motivation for the heist (take the money and run, seek revenge, or clear his name) might have heightened the suspense, and yet you never for one moment doubt this character’s innocence. As written, Nick’s nemesis David Englander played by Ed Harris, is so vile, that black and white is crystal clear. The critical “leap of faith” at the climax of the drama, should be ripe with emotional tension, yet prompts audible laughs for sheer audacity. The planting and payoff so critical to building this moment is absent from the faulty architecture of this “plot driven” drama.

In a genre movie like Man on a Ledge, you want to bond with underdog heroes and root for them; in terms of character development, there is regrettably little to hang your hat on here. The chemistry and connection between Worthington and Elizabeth Banks (Spider-Man, Seasbiscuit), as hostage negotiator Lydia Mercer, falls flat. Fortunately strong performances from ensemble players in this all-star cast that includes Edward Burns, Anthony Mackie, Kyra Sedgwick, Jamie Bell, and newcomer to the scene, Genesis Rodriguez, pick up the slack.

First time Danish director Asger Leth excited expectations with his exceptional writing of Five Obstructions. The transition to Hollywood filmmaking can be rough, and growing pains are apparent in Man on a Ledge. All the same, there are several sequences (one with a helicopter, another with the swat team) that point to Leth’s potential as a director of action films. As a guilty pleasure, you might enjoy watching Man On A Ledge on television one rainy Saturday night. But you generally should expect more from a film with a theatrical release.

- Sophia Stein