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Man on a Ledge More at IMDbPro »

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70 out of 95 people found the following review useful:

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

Author: MosHr from United States
4 January 2012

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.

58 out of 88 people found the following review useful:

Entertaining action/thriller

Author: Paul Budde from United States
4 January 2012

This movie was a fun, entertaining action movie. From the previews I had a good idea of what was going to happen. A guy is on a ledge, threatening to jump, and he is trying to prove his innocence. I don't want to give any details away so I won't get too much into the plot. There are a few twists towards the end that are nice. I would have to say that the plot wasn't incredibly original. It is similar to other action, cop movies that we've seen before. Reminded me of 'The Fugitive' and 'Phone Booth' which were both movies I liked. (No where near as good as The Fugitive though!) There were good shots from the 'ledge' and some good action scenes that were nice at the theater. Overall I would definitely recommend this film. Go see it if you like action/thriller movies!

44 out of 64 people found the following review useful:

Not fabulous but better than I expected

Author: Keryl Cryer from United States
4 January 2012

I had seen one preview for this film, and it didn't appeal to me at all. Even the title seemed completely unimaginative, like it was a shortened elevator pitch. However, I had a chance to see it as a sneak preview, and I thought, "Well, you can't go terribly wrong with Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, and Ed Harris, and I haven't seen Ed Burns in anything for awhile. Besides, it's free. What the heck?"

Well, the movie was, on occasion, kind of ridiculous, and it had a typically predictable ending. Also, Sam Worthington couldn't maintain his American accent; whenever he started yelling, he sounded very Australian. Still, the movie has more strengths than weaknesses, and I even had a couple of gasps and then relieved relaxes. Certainly not the best action movie I've seen, but far from the worst either. It's a decent popcorn flick, a good option if you want a movie that isn't completely mindless but doesn't make your brain hurt either.

25 out of 33 people found the following review useful:

Disregard the Bad Reviews and Enjoy this Entertaining Action-Thriller

Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
17 June 2012

In Sing Sing Correctional Facility, the ex-cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) is informed that his appeal was denied by the court. When his father dies, Nick has authorization to go to the funeral escorted by two policemen. However, he has a fight with his estranged brother Joey Cassidy (Jamie Bell) and Nick subdues the police officers and escape.

Nick lodges at the 21st floor of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York and he goes to the ledge through the window and threatens to jump on the floor, attracting a crowd on the street. The negotiator Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) is assigned to convince the unknown jumper to give up of his intention. Meanwhile Joey and his girlfriend Angela Maria 'Angie' Lopez (Genesis Rodriguez) breaks in the jewelry owned by the powerful David Englander (Ed Harris). Nick claims innocence to Lydia and asks her to give more time to him since he will prove that he is innocent. Lydia believes that Nick is honest or lunatic and decides to investigate his information.

"Man on a Ledge" is an entertaining action-thriller with a great cast. The story has the usual plot holes and unrealistic situations, but that is the funniest part of this type of movie. The unknown Genesis Rodriguez is a very beautiful actress and my advice to the readers is to disregard the bad reviews and enjoy this good film. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "À Beira do Abismo" ("On the Edge of the Abyss")

43 out of 70 people found the following review useful:

Man Climbs out to the Ledge for a Second Chance

Author: wilson trivino (abcvision) from United States
3 January 2012

A distinguish gentleman checks into a hotel with a view, has a nice meal and before dessert arrives climbs out on the ledge. But why? The thriller Man on the Ledge takes you on a journey into a man who seeks to capture his innocence in crime he did not commit. We learn the jumper is a former cop and ex-con, Nick Cassidy (Sam, Worthington) who takes a leap of faith to clear his name fortunately police psychologist Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) sweeps in to unlock a forgotten past. Man on the Ledge is a suspense filled thriller that will keep you on edge for the truth of this twisted tale.

This movie has a good story with not too much violence or profanity. It kept my interest and has some good special effects.

33 out of 51 people found the following review useful:

The only thing bad about this movie is the critics off opinions

Author: h_verse from United States
28 January 2012

I'm not going to dance around and avoid spoiling so I'll keep it short. It was a good movie. It apparently has flaws in the plot line, but while you're enjoying the movie, IT WON'T MATTER. Sam Worthington (Terminator: Salvation, Avatar, Clash Of The Titans) is a bonafide action star (and better actor than Channing Tatum). The supporting cast was refreshing! I haven't seen Burnsy (Edward Burns) play a likable character in a while. Jamie Bell(Jumper, The Eagle) plays the scrawny little brother with perfection. Elizabeth Banks (Zack and Miri Makes A Porno) seems to be cut from the cloth of a Tea Leone sans the raspy voice. Playing the down trodden detective who reluctantly has the task of talking down the jumper. And Ed Harris (The Rock, A History Of Violence) as the bad guy. What else do I need to say? Enjoy the movie!

62 out of 112 people found the following review useful:

Man on the Ledge - 2012

Author: alexis17-920-791094 from sweet Vancouver
5 January 2012

The trailer doesn't give away too much - I thought yeah, maybe. However, I won free tickets so there I was at preview night. And guess what? The movie turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It manages to hold you on the edge of your seat. There are several turns and twists. Plus it's the guy from Avatar, Sam Worthington who plays a former cop, now fugitive,Ex-con Nick Cassidy. Never seen him in anything else, just Avatar 3 times. He's sexy and believable. His Australian accent did come out a few times, but on the whole it was endearing. The only thing he takes off is his jacket and "the ledge". Most of the movie takes place entirely on a N.Y. Manhattan 21st floor hotel ledge. The crowd notices, and YEs we have a JUMPER. I loved the crowd scenes, I wished there were more close ups on some of the screaming dialogues. There were great characters in the crowd, News team and your typical good/bad cops, Swat and Tactical teams. Oh, yes the fire department. The cast was well chosen. Ed Harris, played the sinister millionaire perfectly. God he's good. Jamie Bell, plays our leads' brother...Joey Cassidy-he's awesome too. He tricks and worries us several times throughout the film. His partner in crime, Kyra Sedgwick, plays Suzie Morales, his girlfriend with a past, is beautiful, (for all you straight men- especially when she's in her undies) and their dialogue is total comedy slapstick. I loved them, I totally laughed and wanted to see more. Elizabeth Banks, the police psychologist, was perfect also in every way. The movie does not have any major violence or profanity but the heist is exciting. I liked it and would see it again.

11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:

An interesting premise but the film does little with it.

Author: Hellmant from United States
15 May 2012

'MAN ON A LEDGE': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Sam Worthington stars in this action thriller about an ex-cop turned escaped con threatening to commit suicide by jumping from a Manhattan hotel room while a diamond heist is going on in the building next door. The film costars Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, Edward Burns, Anthony Mackie, Kyra Sedgwick and the gorgeous Genesis Rodriguez (also seen recently in the Will Ferrell comedy 'CASA DE MI PADRE'). It was directed by Asger Leth and written by Pablo F. Fenjves. Despite a good cast the film is just mediocre entertainment; it has an interesting premise but does little with it.

Worthington plays Nick Cassidy, an ex-cop framed for a crime he didn't commit; stealing a diamond from David Englander (Harris). He breaks out of prison and flees to a Manhattan hotel where he threatens to commit suicide. Cassidy requests Detective Lydia Mercer (Banks), a police psychologist, to negotiate with. As Mercer tries to talk Cassidy down a diamond heist is being conducted in the building next door by Nick's brother Joey Cassidy (Bell).

The movie is interesting at first but how it plays out is a little less than thrilling. The directing is adequate at best and the screenplay is lacking involvement. Worthington, Banks, Bell and the rest do the best with their parts though and it's nice to see Worthington continue to branch out a little. The film is forgettable but a little more than mildly entertaining.

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24 out of 40 people found the following review useful:

I wish I was on the ledge

Author: Nebiki from United Kingdom
12 February 2012

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I am amazed at the generosity of human kind. Somebody funded, created and distributed this movie, which I can only assume was a charitable gesture to the actors involved. It certainly wasn't to the cinema-goers.

We won't detain you with the plot, because to be honest, the director didn't. The acting was almost uniformly two dimensional. The plot line - an exercise in scripting by numbers. In the theatre we watched it in, it was clear people were voting with their feet by leaving. They were the lucky ones. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, the finale includes a proposal scene in an Irish police pub.

I didn't actually check, but I assume they had secured the ledges in the building we were watching it in.

Move on, nothing to see here.

8 out of 11 people found the following review useful:

Almost Unwatchable!

Author: Design73 from United States
5 July 2012

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

I knew when I sat down to watch this movie, I wasn't going to see something like Dog Day Afternoon or The Bank Job, but I at least hoped for something that would entertain me rather than insult my intelligence. Unfortunately it was not to be.

The movie is about a cop, Nick (Sam Worthington) who is wrongly convicted of stealing a diamond and framed by crooked cops and an evil multimillionaire played by Ed Harris. To set the record straight, he breaks out of prison, gets new clothes from a safe house, goes to Manhattan and checks into a hotel and then goes out onto the ledge of the hotel so that everyone below will think he's trying to kill himself. This of course is just a diversion so that his brother and his brother's girlfriend, can quietly slip into the building across the street to find the diamond he was accused of stealing. Simple right?

Now, here are just a couple of plot holes that I noticed. First are we to believe that a cop just happens to have a younger brother who has a girlfriend who are both seasoned cat burglars who know how to cut the right wire to deactivate the high tech alarm, shimmy through elevator shafts and foil a high tech heat sensor? Wow that is awfully convenient. Second, at the end when he jumps off the building (without looking below mind you) onto an inflatable mattress he walks away without a scratch? Really? Third, when he finally confronts Ed Harris at the end, after surviving his fall, he simply knocks Ed Harris down and takes out the diamond and waves it in the air. And this is supposed to bring the cops that have been chasing him all day to a halt? And then because of this, they swarm on Ed Harris. What does that prove. He waves a diamond in the air so he must be innocent? That can't be another diamond. Of course not. All the cops on the ground know is that he's broken out of prison and has attempted suicide and now has attacked a big shot millionaire. What does waving a diamond in the air prove? By the way Ed Harris' character is a Trump-like figure, wouldn't he have more security around him? Also why would they take the time to frame Sam Worthington's character by cooking up the whole stolen diamond thing? Wouldn't it be easier to just kill his character rather than frame him?

Of course these are only a few plot holes that I have shared here. I'm sure I'm leaving out a ton more, for example the dad popping up at the end. What was that? And whose funeral were they at? And how was that planned? So do yourself a favor and avoid this one at all costs.

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