Review No.57: Man on a Ledge

Every now and then you get a film that does exactly what it says on the tin and in Man on a Ledge we see Sam Worthington's escaped con Nick Cassidy jump onto the ledge of New York's Roosevelt Hotel apparently ready to commit suicide. Nick's request is that Elizabeth Banks'  negotiator Lydia Mercer be the person to try and talk him down however she is currently on leave after the last person she tried to talk down ended up jumping. The police seemingly have little idea why Nick is doing this other than he wants to end his life as he has nothing left to live for following his last appeal being denied despite the fact that he claims that he didn't steal the diamond that he was accused of taking. The diamond in question belonged to Ed Harris' David Englander a slimy businessman who may have one or more of the city's policemen in his pocket. There is also another plot involving Nick's brother, played by Jamie Bell, however to reveal that would be to give away half of the film so for now if you want to know the whole story then watch it.

However do I think you should watch it? I would say yes if you enjoy a good predictable thriller with a few interesting moments and an intriguing narrative. I don't think this was ever going to be a brilliant thriller however it keeps you interested throughout and I have to say I was never bored. Sam Worthington is well-used here as the focus is never solely on him and he gets to shout a lot which is what he is good at. Thankfully Elizabeth Banks and Jamie Bell both deliver fine performances to create characters that you do connect with while Ed Harris is also well-cast as the villain. There are some big names that are wasted here namely Ed Burns as Lydia's colleague and Kyra Sedgwick as an on the site news reporter. This is a film I could imagine watching on the TV on a rainy Saturday afternoon as it just has that feel about it. Overall I don't think this is going to stick in my mind a couple of months from now but I can't say I wasn't entertained while watching it.

Verdict: An interesting yet not wholly original thriller that you could probably wait to watch till it comes out on DVD 6/10