In Man on a Ledge, the character portrayed by Sam Worthington (Avatar), Nick Cassidy, is an escaped convict, wrongly accused of stealing a diamond from real estate mogul, David Englander, played by Ed Harris (A Beautiful Mind). So why is he 20 stories up on a ledge, negotiating with Elizabeth Banks’ character, Detective Lydia Mercer? It’s all a distraction so that his brother, Joey, portrayed by Jamie Bell (The Adventures of Tintin), and his brother’s girlfriend Angie (newcomer Genesis Rodriguez) can actually steal the diamond for the first time from Englander, who had staged the first heist to accomplish an insurance scam.
This seems like high-concept, fun stuff. And it is. But the story really wasn’t handled well enough to make a truly great movie. We know that Nick will never really jump, so the agonizing height becomes a non-issue. And are we really supposed to believe that his brother and his brother’s girlfriend would be able to pull off such an elaborate vault heist? Besides, so much of the film’s plot hinges on coincidence, that Nick must be the luckiest man on the planet! Or it's a sloppy script.
That being said, even though no one really gives a stellar performance, all actors involved do decently, including Edward Burns (Saving Private Ryan), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption), and rising star Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau). And if the shaky plot doesn’t really bother you, Man on a Ledge is a pretty fun movie, even if it wasn't as gripping as it could have been.
Ultimately, Man on a Ledge is nothing special. But it’s not bad either.
The Final Word: Wait to rent it.
This seems like high-concept, fun stuff. And it is. But the story really wasn’t handled well enough to make a truly great movie. We know that Nick will never really jump, so the agonizing height becomes a non-issue. And are we really supposed to believe that his brother and his brother’s girlfriend would be able to pull off such an elaborate vault heist? Besides, so much of the film’s plot hinges on coincidence, that Nick must be the luckiest man on the planet! Or it's a sloppy script.
That being said, even though no one really gives a stellar performance, all actors involved do decently, including Edward Burns (Saving Private Ryan), Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer), William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption), and rising star Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau). And if the shaky plot doesn’t really bother you, Man on a Ledge is a pretty fun movie, even if it wasn't as gripping as it could have been.
Ultimately, Man on a Ledge is nothing special. But it’s not bad either.
The Final Word: Wait to rent it.
No comments:
Post a Comment