By: debbie lynn elias
You won’t be fooled by the title of MAN ON A LEDGE for as you will quickly see, we really do have a “man on a ledge” and it’s that man and that ledge that set the creative wheels in motion for this emotionally charged, vertigo-infused, entertaining, roller coaster ride of a thrill into play. A cleverly told and intelligently crafted story with a colorful cast and rock solid performances, MAN ON A LEDGE gives us Sam Worthington as the man 220 feet up in the air on the ledge of the famed Roosevelt Hotel in New York. And yes, that really is Worthington out on that ledge. And yes, while there is a “miniature ledge” built that is only a mere 8 feet off the ground, the majority of Worthington’s work – and that of co-star Elizabeth Banks – is actually on the real ledge. (Bet that’s got your adrenalin flowing and palms sweating.)
Nick Cassidy is in prison. Walking around the prison grounds in relative solitude. With a determined look, he trains, he runs, he works out with weights. He shows no emotion. As we learn, he is a former cop, accused and convicted of crimes he didn’t commit, including crimes of corruption being perpetrated by fellow officers, officers he was dangerously close to bringing down when he was framed.
On a visit from Nick’s best friend and former partner, Mike Ackerman, while Mike is adamant about helping to clear Nick’s name, he is also the bearer of sad news. Nick’s father is dying and very soon does. Allowed to attend the funeral, although under guard and handcuffed, thanks to his brother Joey and his girlfriend Angie, Nick orchestrates an exhilarating high speed chase through the cemetery leading to ultimate escape.
With calculated precision (obviously thanks to meticulous planning while in prison), Nick makes his way to the Roosevelt Hotel, has a steak and lobster breakfast, wipes his prints from the room, and climbs out on the hotel ledge, 220 feet in the air. Doesn’t take long for the looky loos on the street to see a MAN ON A LEDGE which sets off not only a police frenzy, but media frenzy. As the crowd – and interest – grows, suicide negotiator, Lydia Spencer, is called in – at Nick’s request. Once the best of the best, as Nick was, Lydia now has the stigma of having her last negotiation fail. The first failure of her career.
With all eyes turned upward at Nick, no attention is paid being paid anywhere else, including a building across the street, where some covert activities are occurring compliments of Joey and Angie. With Joey and Nick discreetly wired to each other, although the cops aren’t savvy enough to figure it out, the audience quickly learns that Nick is a diversion, deliberately drawing everyone’s attention away from the rest of the block. But why? And why does real estate developer David Englander, who just happens to own the building in which Joey and Angie are executing their part of the plan, suddenly begin sweating when he sees on the news that the jumper has been identified as Nick Cassidy? And how long will it take Lydia to figure out what’s really going with the MAN ON A LEDGE?
With a great gallows humor, Sam Worthington brings an amiability and affability to Nick Cassidy that has you rooting for him from the moment you see him on screen. He draws you into Nick. You empathize with Nick’s lost reputation and his belief that integrity makes a man. You are intrigued by what he is doing and why. Worthington makes Nick resonate for us, makes us cheer for him. And he makes the fear of being out on that ledge palpable and heart pounding. Reportedly having a fear of heights, Worthington laughingly elaborates. “I don’t think I had a fear of heights. I think I had a fear of falling and hitting the ground. Trepidation is more the word.” But with any possible pre-conceived fear, why would one take such a role? “I’m always one of those actors who reads a story, gets locked in his head that it’s a real good title and then forgets he has to do it.” Be glad he got this role locked in his head.
As Lydia Spencer, Elizabeth Banks hits one out of the park. With a fully realized character, she has a great no-nonsense energy and determination that is electrifying – especially when going toe-to-toe with Ed Burns’ Detective Jack Dougherty and Anthony Mackie’s Ackerman. And as Banks is also proud to admit, like Worthington, “I was out on the 22nd floor ledge. It was one of the really fun things about this film. . . It was one of the reasons I wanted to do it. I really like the idea of running around with a gun chasing bad guys and doing my own stunt work and wire work. . .You have all that adrenalin pumping the whole time and Stunt 101 is ‘Don’t let the adrenalin run the stunt.’ I definitely threw myself into certain positions a little too enthusiastically.”
As Nick’s best friend Mike Ackerman, Anthony Mackie creates necessary ambiguity laced with heartfelt sincerity to an excellent result. “It’s very important that Mike Ackerman comes across as the guy who’s trying to help his friend, clear as night. Because anything other than that and it’s not suspenseful.” Also important to Mackie was “to walk that [character] line and walk it truthfully where audience members would ask the question of ‘Who is this guy and how does he fit into this?’.” Crediting director Asger Leth with helping him “to mak[e] Mike Ackerman three dimensional”, he succeeds brilliantly.
Where characters and performances really shine is with Genesis Rodriguez and Jamie Bell. As Angie and Joey, they carry some of the more clever aspects of the story, and add a light humor and banter that is as charming as it is appropriate. And as strong as their chemistry is on screen, it pales to that when you sit down with the two of them off screen. Rodriguez hits it out of the park with a WOW factor of catty, funny and sweet while Bell celebrates his great athleticism and lightness, adding a naivete to Joey, creating a magical meld with Rodriguez’ Angie. These two need a sequel or series together. They are that good.
One of the most delicious performances comes from Kyra Sedgwick who, as tabloidesque tv newswoman Suzie Morales, is so over the top capitalizing on the camp and flaws of “yellow journalism” that you are in stitches whenever she’s on her screen. With impeccable timing, her one liners – and facial expressions – are flawless. Ed Harris steps in as mogul David Englander with a solid performance walking a fine line of delicious evil, while Ed Burns shows why he is the “go to guy” for support in an ensemble. Keeping Jack Dougherty light, he is key to giving backbone to Banks’ Spencer and sets a tone for the audience of “if Spencer can win over Dougherty with her thinking, she can win the overall battle.” Always subtle and nuanced, Burns is like icing on the cake.
Written by Pablo F. Fenjves, MAN ON A LEDGE is not only cleverly designed with intersecting plot lines and fun twists and turns, but it is intelligently written, subtly speaking to issues of redemption, ethics, integrity, self-respect and self-worth; How far is too far when the envelope is pushed? Where does one cross the line between good and bad? Can revenge lead to redemption? With each character there is an ambiguity of “crossing the line”, with each questioning his or her self, as the three different action scenarios delightfully unfold. Described by Anthony Mackie as a “suspense thriller” that harkens back to recent days of “Beverly Hills Cop” or “Lethal Weapon” or even back to the 30’s and 40’s with a noir sensibility, MAN ON A LEDGE is deftly crafted with distinctive twists in each of the three acts of the film. There are, however, some predictable plot points and scenes that are almost mirror images of other films not only in look, but purpose and content.
Famed documentarian Asger Leth steps behind the camera, bringing the tension and adrenalin on the page to life on the screen. According to Mackie, “Asger [Leth] was kind of able to put things in perspective in a way that really works with the movie. I think a lot of times filmmakers in general get caught up trying to make something out of nothing instead of making the film that’s on the page. I feel like when you watch this movie, Asger trimmed all of the fat off.” Camera lensing is outstanding with unique angles and framing, thanks to the efforts of the camera crew and their own ledge experiences, all of which is showcased by editing that is fast, evenly paced and sharp, intensifying the tautness of the story. Production Designer Alex Hammond does a great job of designing tonal ambience with buildings, rooms and sets, serving as a perfect contrast and balance to the darkness of a jumper on a dark grey ledge under cloudy grey skies.
Obviously key to MAN ON A LEDGE is the man on the ledge. According to Worthington, “The first time I went out on the ledge, I just said ‘roll the camera and see what we get.’ And that’s the first bit you see me doing in the movie, is the first time I ever did it [out on the ledge]. I was lucky I didn’t burst into tears and go into a fetal position.” Crediting his stunt coordinator Stephen Pope and the stunt team, “I’ve always put trust in a stunt coordinator. Always. That’s without question. And I had a safety line on me. My only thing was ‘I don’t want to feel it. I don’t want to ever know I’ve got it on cause otherwise I’m going to be thinking about the line all the time.” Being out on the ledge was not always a perfect experience as there were times when Worthington would “slip or fall over or trip off”. And while the safety line would “click” into place, “For that brief second, ‘There we go!’ Life flashes before your eyes before it clicks….but in the end, you do get a bit comfortable up there.”
Facing untold logistics with shooting on the 22nd floor, on a roof, in New York, in the winter, shutting down streets, one of the biggest challenges was getting the equipment necessary to the hotel rooftop. According to producer Lorenzo DiBonaventura, by the time shooting started, there was between 40,000 and 60,000 pounds of equipment on the hotel roof. This in and of itself required intervention by building engineers to determine if the building could sustain the weight and for how long. While the original plan was to shoot much of the “ledge” scenes on the constructed 8 foot high set, given Worthington’s confidence out on the ledge, and the technical proficiency of the camera crews (who were hanging from cranes, dropping over the roof of the building, swinging from ropes), as Worthington describes it, “Suddenly before you know it, it’s ‘Let’s do another scene’ or ‘Let’s try this stunt’ or ‘What else can we do?’. Suddenly the camera movements are getting a bit crazy and then [you realize], ‘We’ve shot most of the movie now!” As for Director of Photography, Paul Cameron, known for doing “all of Tony Scott’s movies. He’s fearless. He’s doing stuff on the ledge with the storms picking up.” And Worthington has nothing but platitudes for his camera crew. “When you watch this movie, don’t worry about me. Worry about the dude shooting it. They’re hanging off. They’re on the ledge with you. They’re harnessed up. They’re flying next to you. They’re trying to jump out with you.”
Beyond entertaining, MAN ON A LEDGE will have you walking the ledge of suspense, thrills, fun and yes, laughter. Will Nick fall from the ledge? Will Joey and Angie get caught? How loud will the spectators cheer for a jump? What’s up with David Englander? Is Nick innocent? Who set him up? And will Suzie Morales make it to network tv?
Nick Cassidy – Sam Worthington
Mike Ackerman – Anthony Mackie
Joey Cassidy – Jamie Bell
Lydia Spencer – Elizabeth Banks
Angie – Genesis Rodriguez
Jack Dougherty – Ed Burns
Suzie Morales – Kyra Sedgwick
David Englander – Ed Harris
Directed by Asger Leth. Written by Pablo F. Fenjves.
