Man on a Ledge

My biggest question surrounding Sam Worthington and his two new releases (Man on a Ledge and Wrath of the Titans) is this: why does he have a mullet? Important, not really, but why would anyone grow a mullet these days? In the case of Man on a Ledge, maybe it’s to show his character spent time in prison. Worthington plays an escaped convict who positions himself on the ledge of a hotel claiming that he is going to jump. In the meantime, his brother, played by Jamie Bell and the brother’s girlfriend, Genesis Rodriguez, try to steal the diamond Worthington’s character had supposedly stolen and sold.

There is a lot of time spent on the ledge with the lead, but the film is almost always exciting. Elizabeth Banks plays a police negotiator, who helps to unravel the story for the viewer as she learns the details herself. There aren’t any weak spots in the cast with Edward Burns and Ed Harris also contributing strong supporting performances. The story could probably use a final revision though. The ending (spoiler alert) leaves a few holes in how things should have played out and there is the ever-dreaded neat and tidy ending. I think stealing in the name of justice is probably still frowned upon by the police.

Worthington and Bell are two very likeable actors who work well together. Even though they’re rarely on screen at the same time, it works. Bell’s bickering with Rodriguez gets a bit annoying though. While the premise doesn’t sound revolutionary, there is a certain amount of uniqueness to Man on a Ledge. The static positioning of the lead character on the ledge gives a home point to return to after flashbacks and action scenes occur elsewhere in the story. Maybe the mullet has some aerodynamic properties better suited for ledge standing?

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.