“Man on a Ledge” does what all great action movies do: It takes the audience on a wild ride, forcing the audience to think outside the box and exercise caution in our judgment of the characters. Aside from Elizabeth Banks’ underacting and Sam Worthington’s feeble attempt to cover up his Australian accent by over-pronouncing a few “r’s” here and there, the end-product is a film worth watching.
The film begins with a former policeman, Nick Cassidy (Worthington, “Clash of the Titans”) behind bars, sentenced to 25 years for stealing and selling the Monarch diamond even though he maintains his innocence. The movie promptly picks up pace, as Cassidy escapes and positions himself on a building’s ledge across from the diamond’s owner, and begins his plan to prove that the diamond never left its vault. At this point in the story, the movie begins to draw its viewers into the story more and more, as clues are uncovered about what actually happened to the diamond.
The film is even infused with a suggested love interest as black sheep Detective Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks, “The Next Three Days”) starts to develop feeling for Cassidy while trying to talk him down off the ledge and attempting to discover the truth about his sentencing. Mercer’s irrational connection with Cassidy is the only thing that keeps his plan from spiralling off of the ledge with him. Although Elizabeth Banks is not the most believable actress in a role that calls for multiple layers, her attempts at a prickly, brooding demeanor add an element of comedic relief to an otherwise serious film.
The movie is filled with dizzying camera angles and staggering changes in the plot that call into question everything we “think” we know about Cassidy, including his relationship with his estranged brother Joey (Jamie Bell, “Jumper,” “The Eagle”) and others who are supposed to be helping him.
With so much emphasis placed on perspective, it is impossible to know anything for certain, one of the main reasons why “Man on a Ledge” is so enthralling. Every snide comment or passing wink made by a character at the beginning of the movie eventually returns to create an intriguing plot twist when the grand finale takes place.
