'Man on a Ledge' review

Elizabeth Banks and Sam Worthington (Credit: Myles Aronowitz/Summit)

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A man stands on a ledge of New York's Roosevelt Hotel. The would-be jumper is Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) a former police officer who has been imprisoned for stealing a $40 million diamond, though he maintains his innocence. After the police arrive to talk Nick down, he begins communicating with his brother Joey (Jamie Bell) and Joey's girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez). They’re planning to break into a nearby building in an attempt to recover the diamond from its rich owner’s extremely secure vault, proving Nick’s innocence.

The buzz: Worthington had to face a real-life fear of heights, because “Man on a Ledge” was actually filmed at the Roosevelt Hotel, more than 200 feet above street level. A model room was built on top of the New York hotel. A rail system allowed the set to be pushed to the very edge of the roof when needed.

The verdict: A solidly entertaining popcorn movie, “Man on a Ledge” never takes the leap to greatness. The fast-paced story takes place over the course of a day, but the moments that should be the biggest nail-biters are undermined by a heavy-handed soundtrack of instrumental music that doesn’t so much set a mood as plow right over it. Elizabeth Banks stands out among the ensemble cast as the police psychologist called to the scene to talk Nick down. Worthington does a solid job as well, though Nick’s unfortunate mullet-y haircut is a distraction from the film’s more dramatic moments. Instead of wondering if he’ll leave the ledge, you might be more curious how someone in prison would have access to “Jersey Shore”-style hardcore styling products. Still, the scenes that take place on the ledge are the best in the movie—you can almost feel the texture of the wall that Nick backs up against. There’s also a thrilling cemetery-set car chase and vivid New York street scenes, especially those that depict the crowd shouting for Nick to jump—the extras add a touch of realism as a diverse cross-section of New York City residents. You'll probably find it less realistic that the obnoxious TV reporter Suzie Morales (Kyra Sedgwick), whose live broadcasts are shown throughout the movie, would be the only media personality on the scene.

Did you know? Recognize the bellman (Bill Sadler) who shows Nick to his room at the Roosevelt? You might remember Sadler as a terrorist in “Die Hard 2,” a prisoner in “The Shawshank Redemption” or the town sheriff on the WB show “Roswell.”

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