Man on a Ledge: Review By kiion

'Man on a Ledge' is quite possibly one of the most unimaginative titles in film history. Luckily however, the production team behind this picture have not allowed the lack of interest that can be derived from the title to reflect the narrative and action sequences that are shown within this movie. Man on a Ledge is a film that takes a fresh look at a common genre that is presented in many different ways, implementing different ideas to create a fusion of interesting factors that allow it to stand out from other productions that have already been released. This film is a complete example of how audiences should never judge a film solely from its title.

Man on a Ledge follows the Cassidy family, one that originally seems broken by the inprisonment of older brother Nick, who is serving a 25 year sentence for stealing a 40 million pound diamond of business tycoon David Englander. The thing is Nick claims complete innocence to the crime and therefore conducts a plan to outline the lies that Englander has spread. Taking to a ledge, that is many stories high, Nick gains the attention of the audience below, many hoping for a suicide jump. This is just a ploy to get the streets watching him however, with younger sibling Joey and girlfriend Angie breaking into the Englander headquarters to find the diamond and prove the innocence. Throw into the mix two friendly cops and many other crooked ones, the plot allows the characters and storyline to create true depth. The thing that stands out most about this movie, however, is that the main protagonist takes a more background role within this movie, aiding the burglars but never really doing much else. Having this slight alteration to difference itself from those action movies that have come before, allows this movie to feel extremely different. For all the right reasons the changes works well to compliment the narrative.

Sam Worthington is a Hollywood actor that seems to be doing nothing more than rising through the ranks exceptionally fast. He achieves this through picking roles that all appear slightly different to what is expected but also exactly fitting for the actor that he is. This is another one of those roles that allows Worthington to showcase his talent. The fact that throughout the whole duration he rarely has to do anything more than to look moody from a ledge, he is able to express the true anguish that his character holds. Throughout the movie he is completely capable of outlining to the audience the hate that his character has for Englander and also the fact that what he says he believes to be true, as it is, so audience members are able to grow an attachment to him and plead for him to make it through. Ed Harris is equally as good as the role of Englander. From the beginning it is completely clear that this character is one of the most genuinely evil people to have existed within a film narrative. He portrays the role with such menace that it is clear from his first appearance on screen, that he has got to where he stands within this world through being completely twisted with no regards to others feelings. As such from the very first time of seeing this character the audience is expected to dislike him greatly, this further adds the attachment to the protagonists. Jamie Bell and Genesis Rodriguez portray the roles of thieves with a cause that break into the building to clear Worthington's name. Within their screen time, their segments involve the right amount of tension and excitement with a balance of feeling for one another that these characters obviously have. This adds more tension as there is always the thought that it could end badly for these characters, something that audiences would not want to occur.

The setting for this movie, although constrained to only a few locations, never feels small in relation to what is occurring, The mix of the two different story-lines (one involving the man on the ledge the other the break into the building) means that the movie never feels boring. It is a great way to break up each other and shows that true drama can be incorporated within a high action movie. The scenes upon the ledge, at first thought, would seem to be dull or boring, but this is not the case and are thrilling and engrossing which is testament to Worthington and Elizabeth Banks' acting. They are always engrossing to watch, with enough development to not allow it to become dull. Using only the two story-lines also means that the plot never becomes confusing with the many strands of narrative being handled correctly.

Although not perfect, some scenes bring across the wonder of how things occur or are there in the first place. Man on a Ledge is a very exciting movie to watch with Sam Worthington once again showing that he has natural acting talent and Ed Harris is very capable of portraying antagonists. With the main desire to show how far a human could go to prove their innocence, this film delivers on many different levels. With a highly original way to present the main protagonists narrative, this film always feels fresh. Excitement is a common feeling to gain from watching this film and audience members should gain enough attachment to the plot that they are able to feel this. Another thing to note about this film, is that it never outstays its welcome with the perfect duration for the narrative to be presented and enough character development to keep it interesting throughout. If only the filmmakers had decided on a better title.