Man on a Ledge

Name: Man on a Ledge
Genre: Thriller, Crime
Released: January 27, 2012
Duration: 102 min
Rating: 40
Cast: Jamie Bell, Sam Worthington

2012

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Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 160 Ratings

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6.3

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6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 160 Ratings

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Man On A Ledge

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Movie Details & Credits

Summit Entertainment | Release Date: January 27, 2012 | PG-13

Starring: Jamie Bell, Sam Worthington

Summary: 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 plungingNick 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. (Summit Entertainment)… Expand

Director: Asger Leth

Genre(s): Thriller, Crime

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 102 min

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Critic Reviews

Mick LaSalle

Jan 26, 2012

Man on a Ledge doesn't aim high, but what it aims to do, it does. It grabs the audience's attention, engages its anxieties, stokes its resentments and, at the finish, sends people out saying, "That was good." Read full review

John Anderson

Jan 26, 2012

The ending, for instance, is so ridiculously tidy it squeaks. But en route to its kitchen-sink climax, "Man" manages to both amuse and provoke, to cleave to convention and promote ideas. Read full review

Justin Chang

Jan 23, 2012

This cloddishly contrived suspenser is too busy to bore, but too farfetched to thrill, combining routine heist-thriller machinations with dialogue that often thuds like a body hitting asphalt. Read full review

Mike Scott

Jan 27, 2012

As ridiculous as it is, Man on a Ledge isn't a movie that requires suspension of disbelief. It requires the absolute absence of it. Read full review

Marc Savlov

Jan 25, 2012

In the end it's all much ado about not so much, a semifunctional thriller that tingles but never terrifies. Ledge schmedge. Read full review

Claudia Puig

Jan 26, 2012

More often the film succumbs to clichés, grows convoluted and outlandish, and winds up dead on arrival. Read full review

Stephen Holden

Jan 26, 2012

Rarely has a film exhibited a bigger disconnect between urban realism and utter ludicrousness. Read full review

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User Reviews

MegWhiteley

Mar 3, 2012

Man on a ledge is a fantastic film, really, because the cast have an awesome performance and do that the film be interesting, the trama can be simple but is perfect, this film is really great, I love it. Man on a ledge is a new classic.

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

TECfilms

Nov 14, 2012

It's again not very surprising that the audition reviews are mostly common with mine. This film profits from a clever plot, great actors and bursting edge-of-your-seat-tension. A movie that could be a bit more serious in some bits but still is very entertaining.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

DawdlingPoet

Nov 22, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I found this movie to be somewhat confusing at first, in that there are various sub plots going on at the same time but perhaps not enough detail given to the viewer about some of them. We see things from the point of view of the jumper (Nick Cassidy), the police psychologist (who is rather down on her luck after a failed attempt to stop another jumper elsewhere, which the media reported heavily) and other police officers involved, plus there's the diamond heist, unbeknownst to those observing Nick on the, you guessed it, ledge. I didn't feel it was made clear why Nick was involved with the diamond heist (or maybe I hadn't paid close enough attention to the dialogue?), at least certainly not at first and I thought it was interesting to have a glimpse at the psychologists history or character but we don't really learn a great deal about her overall, which is a shame.

The pace of the movie varies, in that its perhaps a little slow to start with and there are some scenes of Nick and the psychologist that are maybe a bit long winded and don't really lead to us learning a great deal, they could perhaps be cut down a little bit but there's certainly a feeling of suspense present in general. I think its that inquisitiveness, wanting to find out more about the background and history of the characters, that kept my interest and I felt that the sense of suspense certainly heightened in the second half of the movie, as the police start to realise who their dealing with and things take an unexpected turn, with one or two plot twists present, which I certainly won't go in to, to prevent unnecessary spoilers.

I found it interesting to see how the police franticly scrabbled to put the pieces of the metaphorical puzzle together, to try to figure out what Nick was playing at, what he had been working on and planned, while he stayed quite level headed and uncooperative. It was perfectly watchable and I suppose its interesting how it highlighted the aspect of it being a live news item being reported on TV, showing crowds down on the street level watching and even shouting out encouraging him to jump, which is a bit disturbing, although if they all knew by then that he had criminal links then perhaps that may have something to do with it. I think the downside to this movie, as far as the plot is concerned, is the fact that it centres around someone with a criminal past and you (or I, certainly) couldn't help but wonder, in a sense, why we should be too concerned over such a persons fate. Of course, we realise there are multiple plotlines underway by the time the pace heats up and that adds suspense and intrigue but still, some of the characters are less than endearing (including another bad guy, not Nick), even the psychologist seems a bit almost selfish in a way, although I did root for her to prove her critics wrong and get a good outcome to this particular 'jumper'. I kept feeling throughout that I didn't have the full picture of (the full reasons behind) what exactly was going on, or maybe moreso precisely why but then without the curiosity to find out more then I suppose the movie would have no real appeal and the suspense would be shot.

There is certainly a plot twist or two present - the ending I felt was really quite corny/cheesy and I didn't feel was especially believable but one or two others I didn't mind so much. I suppose you could argue it isn't the sort of movie you watch and expect to be entirely believeable - I think this was made to be a suspenseful thriller and its certainly does pretty well to entertain the audience for the running time of approximately an hour and forty minutes, so I suppose from that side of things its decent enough.

To summarise, I do feel the plot is a bit confused but its still quite suspenseful and intriguing and is an easy enough watch. I feel this has good potential but maybe isn't quite as good as it could have been, in terms of delving even further into different characters backgrounds and providing more answers to the different questions that arise. This is certainly quite a 'Hollywood' type movie I feel but thats not necessarily a bad thing, its pretty good but not really especially great.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

chrisv39

Feb 2, 2012

Going into â

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

StevenF

Sep 25, 2013

It's apparent not too long into 'Man on a Ledge' that the premise of it is more than it seems, as Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) takes to a ledge on one of the highest floors of a New York hotel, but it's immediately clear that he doesn't have much intention of jumping, that a sleight ofIt's apparent not too long into 'Man on a Ledge' that the premise of it is more than it seems, as Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) takes to a ledge on one of the highest floors of a New York hotel, but it's immediately clear that he doesn't have much intention of jumping, that a sleight of hand is in place. Without giving too much away, it's pretty clear that Nick Cassidy isn't up there for the view, or to leap off to his death, but what follows is aiming too much above its weight to the exhausting point of this steak being overdone. We are lead down a path of conspiracies and ulterior motives, this is when it's easy to realise that the movie acts a lot more seriously than it should, a preposterous twinning of two stories leaves the film fun and cheerful, but not as dramatic as it is trying to be. What irritates me is the fact that we start off with Nick climbing to the ledge, where we then see a month before where he is in prison, what could have been set up here is a simple dramatic piece of a man seeing error in his decisions, but instead a thriller with many shady characters and money falling from the sky to create diversions, this turns into a heist, to mask a thievery that didn't, emm, actually happen. Elizabeth Banks plays the negotiator who attempts to talk Nick down, she has her own regretful past as she sees that Nick isn't who he says he is. As a thriller, this certainly isn't a a dull affair, with plenty of pulsating action and several twists and turns throughout, but it's also entirely ridiculous and over the top, trading what was a good thing. The lead characters each bring something to the table, but in the grand scheme of things, they get lost in all the flashy ideas that we are given and they must settle for playing second fiddle to an over-arching story. Worthington plays a calm and collective individual on the ledge, but he is much more interesting on the ground when we learn about his past, but the chemistry between himself and Banks feel real and worthwhile. Supporting cast members Anthony Mackie and Titus Welliver deliver solid albeit limited performances, they have significant roles yet small appearances throughout the film. This sums up just how big and serious the film attempts to be, but everything is too co-ordinated to the point where the heroes never seen to be in danger, it's a fun thrill, but one which is playful and entertaining, not one which is too convincing in its execution.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

RustShackleford

Jan 29, 2012

It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't really that good either. The characters were forgettable, and not the best acting by some of the actors. Not much suspense. But it was kinda interesting.

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

timbosabo

Jan 28, 2012

this provided a good nap for me last night.

overacted and miscast with female police negotiator.

they cant even change kyra sedgwicks wardrobe for later scene.

0 of 4 users found this helpful04

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96	#96 Most Discussed Movie of 2012
71	#71 Most Shared Movie of 2012