Man on a Ledge

Release Date: January 27, 2012

High concept.

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Position Staff In Brief
99/169 Max Braden If you have any nervousness about heights you'll react to a moment or two in this movie, but as a heist it's too easy. Other movies have done this better.

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So, Sam Worthington is, like, this dude who goes out on this ledge. That makes him a Man on a Ledge. When he gets there, a bunch of people start rubbernecking in anticipation of his jumping all a tall building to his untimely, brutal demise. Except that isn’t what is going to happen. Apparently, the Man on a Ledge is the bit of misdirection needed so that his felonious friends can steal $40 million worth of jewelry.

See, when a Man on a Ledge is noticed by pedestrians, they contact the police. The police have no choice but to stop doing all of the policing that defines their jobs and instead join the other pedestrians below, helplessly watching as the would-be jumper determines whether they want to live or die.

This strikes me as an excellent plan for a jewelry heist. Since this is a movie, however, I doubt that everything goes to plan. The jewelry owner portrayed by Ed Harris, for example, probably figures out what is going on. And since the hostage negotiator played by Elizabeth Banks failed to talk a jumper out of committing suicide last month, she will probably be extra-attentive to Sam Worthington’s needs. No matter whether she saves the day by foiling (or aiding?) the heist, this still strikes me as a strong plan as well as a great idea for a movie and I bet Sam Worthington’s character winds up a lot richer by the end of the movie as does Sam Worthington the actor if he gets a percentage of the gross. That’s the real heist here. (David Mumpower/BOP)


Vital statistics for Man on a Ledge
Main Cast Sam Worthington
Supporting Cast Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, Ed Harris, Ed Burns, Titus Welliver, Génesis Rodríguez, Kyra Sedgwick
Director Asger Leth
Screenwriter Pablo Fenjves, Erich Hoeber, Jon Hoeber
Distributor Summit Entertainment
Trailer http://www.manonaledge.com/
Official Site http://www.manonaledge.com/
Rating PG-13
Running Time 102 minutes
Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture


     


 
 

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