Movie Review: Man On A Ledge

Thursday, March 1, 2012
Synopsis: Nick Cassidy makes a desperate and life-threatening move to prove his innocence after he is framed for the theft of a rare, prized diamond. Recently escaped from prison and with nowhere else to go, Nick climbs onto the ledge of a towering skyscraper, inviting the eyes of New York City to anxiously watch as one wrong step could mean plunging to his death. But as one police negotiator soon learns, Nick's daredevil stunt, captivating the eyes of the public and media, masks a dangerous ploy to reveal the truth about his tarnished name.With the help of his brother and with time running out, Nick's intricate plan must work perfectly, but when you’re on the 25th floor ledge of a building, going down takes on an entirely more hair-raising meaning.
Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Anthony Mackie, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, Titus Welliver
Directed by: Asger Leth
U.S. Rating: PG-13

Man On A Ledge was one of those great thrillers that left me with a sour taste on my mouth at the end of the film. It was one of those really entertaining thrillers that keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the 90 minutes, and at the end you ask yourself... Hey! What the heck did just happen?! Yes, but maybe that was just my personal experience.

Man On A Ledge gathered such a great cast, a pretty interesting "heist/thriller" plot, a decent direction, but a horrible ending.

Sam Worthington plays the role of Nick Cassidy, an ex-policeman arrested and convicted to 25 years in prison for stealing a $40 million diamond from businessman David Englander (Ed Harris). Nick Cassidy is innocent, and will do anything to prove it. While being in jail, he's informed that his father has died and attends his funeral while being in custody. After a confusing situation with his younger brother and the police, Nick neutralizes the custody agents and escapes.

Later on, he checks in at the Roosevelt Hotel under the false name of Walker, goes to his hotel room at the top floor, and climbs on the ledge, apparently ready to commit suicide. The crowd below sees him and calls the police. After isolating the area, Agent Jack Dougherty (Edward Burns) tries to talk with Nick. However, he says he will only speak to negotiator Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), who is on a leave of absence after failing to convince a depressed policeman not to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge a month earlier. Nick knows her work and determination, and he's decided to use her on his plan.

Lydia and Jack have no idea of who Nick (alias Mr. Walker) is, his past or something that could lead them to the real reason of his dangerous decision of possibly jump and take his life. Lydia is able to get Nick's fingertips. They will soon discover that Nick is an ex-policeman who was arrested for the well-known case of stealing a $40 million diamond from businessman David Englander. Nick, however, constantly says he is innocent and tries to convince Lydia that Englander used to employ cops to protect his multi-floor jewelry business. He told her that one day, while Nick was on duty, he was knocked unconscious by two men in ski masks and awakened to find out Englander had framed him for stealing the diamond in order to get the insurance money, as he had lost his fortune during the stock market crisis.

Everyone thinks that Nick is playing them just to get attention, but the truth is that Nick is merely distracting them while his brother Joey and Joey's girlfriend Angie break into Englander's upper floor jewelry vault in the building across the street to steal the diamond and prove Nick's innocence.

Agents Dante Marcus and Mike Ackerman are involved with David Englander, providing him protection. Lydia is informed about this situation and knows that Nick is in danger if he's finally captured. Nick and his brother are caught and taken to the roof of Englander's building to face Englander. Englander recovers the diamond previously stoled by his brother and leaves the scene. Lydia save them and in a very risky move, Nick gets to Englander, who has already left the building. At the end, Nick is able to demonstrate he is innocent, but as said before, after going through a very entertaining and edgy thriller with ups and downs throughout the whole film, they just end it with a pretty lame end.

I must say that I'm very pleased with Elizabeth Bank's performance. She's one of those actresses that has been improving her presence and acting performance, getting important roles in relevant films. Sam Worthington also played a pretty decent role in this film, making a great combination.

I would rate this movie with a 3/5


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