By now you’ve seen the trailers, a guy is on a ledge and it doesn’t look like just a simple suicide.  In this case, the promo’s got it right.  Not only is this man on a ledge with no intention of killing himself (shhh…don’t tell the crowd below!), but he’s got a serious side plot afoot…and it is an adrenaline ride you want to be along for. (B+)

First of all, like so many movies we watch for entertainment purposes, you’ll have to suspend certain beliefs (most simply, that any man posing a risk to jump on a ledge but is seemingly reticent, would simply be sleep-gas darted and dropped into a safety mat), and just let this thriller take you.  Starting simply enough, we find our potential ledge leaper, Nick Cassidy checking into a high class hotel, having a nice meal and then for no particular reason steps out onto a ledge some 15 stories off the ground.  As the typical NY crowd gathers to gawk, and by typical, I mean ‘half of them concerned’ and ‘half of them eager’, the police are called to the scene led by their chief negotiator, Lydia Mercer.  The police, and you the audience member, quickly figure out that this isn’t a simple suicide.  Not only is Nick an ex-cop, but he just escaped prison doing hard time for theft of a 30 million dollar diamond belonging to David Englander, one of the city’s biggest real estate developers.  Turns out, this suicide is really a desperate plan to re-claim the diamond and prove his innocence not just to us the viewer, but the concerned citizens below, the police force which had abandoned belief in him, and the media outlets building the story to a fever pitch to the world.

 

This wasn’t necessarily the best casting in the world though.  Lydia Mercer the negotiator portrayed by Elizabeth Banks (Catch Me If You Can), was misplaced.  I can’t put my finger on it, but she wasn’t the right choice for the role.  Certain actors are typecast in certain situations, and as a dejected chain smoking suicide preventing b*tch with a badge….it gets lost.  Likewise can be said for one of my favorite actors Ed Harris (The Abyss) who portrays mogul Englander.  Yeah, it’s a waste of his acting chops, but plainly, you just don’t expect an actor of his caliber to play such a dissident bad guy.  Thank goodness they didn’t pull a ‘fist-ta-cuff’s’ finale for him and the hero, but I wouldn’t have been surprised.  A piece of inspired casting would be Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau) who plays fellow cop, and former partner of Nick.  It’s nice to see a bold choice for a role like this and having him take a turn as a mystery man was very welcome.   I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Genesis Rodriguez (HBO’s Entourage), not because of her believability in the role, but simply because this fresh new hottie was very well placed.

 

What makes the film a great trip to the cinema is the pulse of the film.  It’s not easy crafting thrillers that have a moving pulse that can grab the audience and hold them for the run of the show, and this film does that.  Even as the pieces of the mystery unfold, you only become more engaged in the strife of Nick’s plight, and his smarts in handling the crowd, the media and the situation; cleverly bending it to his advantage.  It also doesn’t hurt that newcomer, Director Asger Leth has a love affair with camera angles that bring you right onto the ledge giving you the sensation and rush of what the world must look and feel like, some 150 feet off the ground.

Man On A Ledge is rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.  Running Time: 102 minutes.