High on fun, low on credibility.
The H-Bomb: A mysterious man (Sam Worthington) checks into a Manhattan hotel alone. He treats himself to an extravagant meal, then wipes the room clean of all fingerprints and climbs out the window and onto the ledge. It’s not long before he’s spotted by some do-gooder on the street far down below, and a crowd gathers to see if he’ll jump. Some even cheer for him to jump! Soon the police and the media both show up, and the whole thing turns into a big fiasco.
Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), a police psychiatrist with a drinking problem and a sad back story, is called to the scene to try and talk the man down off the ledge, and in their back and forths she gets the feeling that he’s not really suicidal, and that there is something else going on. Of course, we the audience, through some rather clumsy flashbacks, already know more about this man than Lydia. We know that his name is Nick Cassidy, that he is an ex-cop who went to prison for a crime he says he didn’t commit, and that he’s an escaped fugitive trying to clear his name.
But what does all that have to do with Nick dangling off the ledge in full view of hundreds of people? Well, maybe it’s to keep people’s eyes off of what his brother, Joey (Jamie Bell) and Joey’s girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) are doing across the street, in the diamond vaults of slimy, big shot Wall Street broker David Englander (Ed Harris). Normally, I’d be reluctant to give that much away, but the trailer already did it for me, so I figure, the hell with it.
In fact, for the audience to enjoy “Man on a Ledge”, they’ll have to say the hell with it, too, because that is exactly the kind of movie it is. The kind of highly contrived, ridiculously illogical thriller that Hollywood cranks out every so often. The kind where if you scrutinize the plot, the characters, or anything that’s happening, you’ll just end up frustrating yourself, but, if you can just kick back and go with it, you’ll find it fairly enjoyable.
Basically, “Man on a Ledge” is a popcorn movie, one that wouldn’t cut the muster in the summer, hence it’s being released in January, when movie theaters resemble post-apocalyptic wastelands, but essentially it is 90 some odd minutes of pure, dumb brain candy. Those looking for a tense, single location thriller like “Phone Booth” may be disappointed, as this actually is an overly plotted heist movie in the “Inside Man” vein, only about a thousand times more improbable, and not nearly as memorable. It’s entertaining, but you’ll be straining to remember anything that happens in it the day after you see it.
As far as performances go, this really, truly is not a performance movie, but everyone on hand does their best. Worthington is an actor who has never interested me at all. Frankly, I find him about as exciting as a piece of plain toast and as charismatic as a bullfrog, but here, he’s actually all right. He hasn’t converted me into a born again Worthington fan or anything, but on this occasion, he managed to make me root for him… even though the Hasselhoff hair he sports doesn’t do him any favors. Banks, as the alcoholic police shrink, does okay, as well, but like Worthington, I find her kind of bland.
Fortunately, the solid supporting cast does help spice up the mix. Bell is funny as Joey, Nick’s well meaning but clumsy brother, Anthony Mackie is smooth as Nick’s best friend and a fellow cop who’s a little too interested in his predicament, and Harris hams it up nicely as the stereotypical smug, cigar sucking, fat cat bad guy. Fans of William Sadler will be pleased to see him in a smallish role as a helpful Bellhop, it’s just too bad he looks as though he aged twenty years in the past ten. I was disappointed to see Ed Burns relegated to the throwaway role of some generic detective who spends the whole movie on the sidelines. This guy used to be a full fledged movie star. He helped save Private Ryan, for Christ sake! What happened?
Of everyone in the cast, the one true standout is Genesis Rodriguez. Never heard of her before? Don’t worry, neither have I, but I have a hunch we all will in the near future. Her turn as Joey’s girlfriend/amateur cat burglar is sassy, sexy, and almost steals the show. The moment where she strips down in her bra and panties to slip into her skintight catsuit is perhaps the most hysterically gratuitous thing I have ever seen in any movie, but in a movie this hokey, it’s allowed.
And hokeyness is the order of the day with this one. There are some intensely suspenseful moments (the bit with the news chopper is great), some nifty action towards the end, and even some laugh out loud moments throughout (the old Hippie in the crowd shouting about Attica is priceless). It all leads to a climax that is both howlingly absurd and a little under-whelming, but if you keep your expectations modest and your brain turned off, there is fun to be had… provided you have absolutely nothing better to do.
