Man on a Ledge (Asger Leth, 2012)
Leth’s big Hollywood debut (following writing credits on 2003’s docu-challenge The Five Obstructions, of all things, and co-directing credits on 2006’s Ghosts of Cité Soleil) about an escaped felon uninspiringly named Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) is, from the get-go, pretty obtuse in its intentions, recalling, amongst many things, forgettable New York-based thrillers such as Schumacher’s Phone Booth (2002). Playing out like an extended episode of any TV procedural out there and to lesser success, Man on a Ledge is riddled with stock characterization and an initial air of intrigue that inevitably builds towards a disappointment. It is a film one watches with a smirk of complicity as tropes accumulate and the scenario becomes increasingly predictable. Acrophobes will be entertained, but other than that, the film has little to offer past co-stars Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell and telenovela actress Génesis Rodriguez as the aggravatingly sexist and (un)necessary eye-candy.
As subtle as a brick in your face, Man on a Ledge becomes interesting in how its imagery (Cassidy, above, throwing money into the crowd) and basic narrative of stealing back from the rich (Ed Harris) echoes the Occupy movement(s) of last year, showing how the American film industry might be liminaly moving from its post-9/11 phase to more contemporary anxieties — something that will undeniably be a big part of Nolan’s upcoming The Dark Knight Rises (2012), for better of for worse although probably for the worse considering 2008’s The Dark Knight and unless Bruce Wayne perishes (which seems unlikely). To be continued…
