The makers of “Man on a Ledge” seem to have a solid idea of their target audience. Elizabeth Banks, its comely female star, first appears on screen when she rolls out of bed in a white tank top that’s virtually see-through. A supporting player, the arrestingly named Genesis Rodriguez, wears rather more cleavage than necessary to conduct a heist. She has to change outfits in the course of that caper, and she has trouble getting into the skintight bodysuit; the camera lovingly pans over her, front and back, as she wriggles into it in her lacy underwear.
We’re forced to watch Sam Worthington, on the other hand, spend most of the movie on that titular ledge with one of the worst haircuts a leading man has sported in quite some time.
| On screen |
| ‘Man on a Ledge’ |
| 2 out of 4 stars |
| Stars: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell |
| Director: Asger Leth |
| Rated: PG-13 for violence and brief strong language |
| Running time: 102 minutes |
Maybe that’s why he’s noticed so quickly. It seemed unlikely to me that busy New Yorkers would see immediately a man on a ledge 21 floors up on a busy street in Midtown. But a good-looking man with an unfortunate haircut does stick out.
“Snakes on a Plane,” “Man on a Ledge”: Don’t you love movies whose titles tell you exactly what they’ll deliver? Those words are even uttered during the film. “Shut down the block. We got a man on a ledge,” a cop says.
This isn’t an ordinary jumper, of course. Why would Nick Cassidy want to kill himself? He just gained his freedom from Sing Sing hours before. The former cop was serving a 25-year sentence, but made a daring escape. Instead of going into hiding, or running off to Mexico, though, he’s chosen a stunt that will put him on every cable channel in the city. Nick’s a proud man — and determined to prove his innocence.
Banks plays Lydia Mercer, the police psychologist there to talk him off the ledge. It doesn’t take her long to realize this isn’t some poor sod whose wife just left him or boss just fired him. Nick needs her: It’s hard to marshal evidence of your innocence when you’re holding on to the side of a building.
“Man on a Ledge,” as I hinted, is exactly what you’d expect from a movie with that title. It’s a slight thriller/action picture that doesn’t aim high. The talent here is better than in most, though. Jamie Bell, the English actor best known as Billy Elliot and Tintin, gets to show a bit of range as Nick’s put-upon brother. Rodriguez, a Telemundo soap star, is really quite charming as Bell’s girlfriend. Look for her next in “Casa de mi Padre,” the March release with Will Ferrell speaking Spanish whose trailer is now making the rounds.
