Man on a Ledge (2012)

As a police psychologist works to talk down an ex-con who is threatening to jump from a Manhattan hotel rooftop, the biggest diamond heist ever committed is in motion.

Director:

Asger Leth

Writer:

Pablo F. Fenjves

Stars:

Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Worthington	...	Nick Cassidy
Mandy Gonzalez	...	Manager
William Sadler	...	Valet
Barbara Marineau	...	Screaming Woman
J. Smith-Cameron	...	Psychiatrist
Anthony Mackie	...	Mike Ackerman
Patrick Collins	...	Father Leo
Jamie Bell	...	Joey Cassidy
Genesis Rodriguez	...	Angie
Afton Williamson	...	Janice Ackerman
Robert Clohessy	...	Prison Guard
Joe Lisi	...	Desk Sergeant
Candice McKoy	...	Cop - Bullhorn
Edward Burns	...	Jack Dougherty (as Ed Burns)
Johnny Solo	...	Cop - Room (as John Solo)

Storyline

An ex-cop turned con threatens to jump to his death from a Manhattan hotel rooftop. The nearest New York Police officer immediately responds to a screaming woman and calls dispatch. More Officers arrive with SWAT and tactical command along with fire-fighters. The police then dispatches a female police psychologist personally requested to talk him down from the ledge. However, things aren't as straightforward and clearcut as they appear to be.

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Plot Keywords:

police | diamond | hotel | rooftop | detective | 

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Taglines:

You can only push an innocent man so far.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Summit Entertainment [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

27 January 2012 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Le temps d'un vol

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$42,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$8,001,932 (USA) (27 January 2012)

Gross:

$18,600,911 (USA) (24 February 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Summit Entertainment, Di Bonaventura Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joey Cassidy (Jamie Bell) says three different lines three times apiece in rapid succession: "We're here, we're here, we're here.", "Hold on, hold on, hold on." and "Angie, Angie, Angie."

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Goofs

On the rooftop of Englander's building both Joey and Angie are seen reaching the bottom of a ladder before Joey speaks to Nick from his phone. In the next shot the camera is positioned up with Nick and we see Joey at the bottom of the ladder but Angie only half way down.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Manager: Good morning, sir.
Nick Cassidy: Last name's Walker.
Manager: Yes. Mr. Walker. Room 2105, South Tower. Great view. We also have a larger unit available on the east side, I can offer you at the same price.
Nick Cassidy: No, I think I'll stick with the view.

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Crazy Credits

The Summit logo at the beginning has a background of New York skyscrapers on it.

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Connections

References Fourteen Hours (1951)

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Soundtracks

Symphony 103 in E Flat Major (2nd Movement)
Written by Joseph Haydn
Performed by Moscow Studio Symphony Orchestra (as Moscow Symphony)
Courtesy of Denon Classics/Selectracks/Bug Music

User Reviews

A decent thriller/heist movie. Full of the usual plot-holes though!

As you'd expect, "Man on a Ledge" is a Swiss-cheese plotted heist and "prove his innocence" movie but taken as just that, it's quite an enjoyable movie. I suppose after having seen enough of these kinds of movies, I shouldn't expect perfection in how every plot thread is tied up since very few movies manage it. However, what the movie does excellently is setup the plot and build up the situation perfectly. Just starting as a literal man on a ledge, we see subtle layers added until we get this full on crescendo of diamond heists, negotiators, cops, convicts, bad guys, good guys all happening on in a single block in New York. So, given that you're willing to suppress your tingling plot-hole sense, it can be an enjoyable movie.

The cast is quite good and the acting and tension is par for the course. The leads Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks do a great job. Seeing Worthington as an ex-NY cop, ex-convict and Banks as a negotiator/psychologist with a past is surprising on paper but they manage to pull it off very well. However, Jamie Bell is one of the heist-team but his opposite who plays Angie make for some cringe-worthy comedy, like some Sofia Vergara slapstick in the middle of a tense situation. Ed Harris looks emaciated but equally sinister as the villain and there are a host other minor NY characters.

I can hear the Hollywood pitch for the movie in my head, "it's like The Negotiator combined with The Italian Job but happens in NY and instead of a hostage situation we have a jumper." And, essentially it's just that – a movie that heavily recalls other movies from the past except perhaps for the man on ledge. On a side note, it seems that every NY movie nowadays has a reference to the OWS movement and what a typical OWS protester might look like.

The movie is at its best when it clamors for our hero who desperate and is fighting all odds to clear his name as he shouts from his ledge, "I am innocent and this is my retrial." The movie is at its worst when it's ungainly roping in all the plot threads it cast out but can't seem to put it together. Overall, it's a good enough movie for people who like these kinds of movies. If you've caught yourself bitterly berating the many plot holes in heist movies, maybe this isn't for you.