Saturday, April 7, 2012

Man On A Ledge


I just got back from watching Man On A Ledge. I decided to give it a shot despite previously hearing poor reviews. Let me just say that the movie lived up to it's title. I've heard some people criticize the name of the movie, but at least it wasn't called "Boyfriend and girlfriend steal diamond back from criminal businessman while their framed ex cop brother stages potential suicide as a distraction to expose crooked cops and prove his innocence."

I enjoyed the cast. Binks and Worthington were alright in their roles, but I have been distracted by Worthington going back and forth with his accent in every movie I've seen him in since Avatar. I really liked the the bad guys in this movie. I thought Ed Harris was an incredibly nasty villain. I struggled trying to accept Jamie Bell and his girlfriend played by Genesis Rodriguez as a couple in this movie. I had an even harder time believing they had the skills and knowledge needed to pull off a heist.

As much as I liked the idea behind this movie, there were only about 27 totally fake things or unanswered questions. Some of the things I learned from watching Man On A Ledge are:

* If you get hit by a train while running away from the cops, it will not hurt you as long as you played the Terminator in a prior movie.

* Two amateurs with a couple of duffel bags full of tools can break into a high security building and vault all while serving as comic relief for the movie.

* If you are an attractive woman, there is always time for you to strip down to your underwear and change outfits during a time sensitive heist.

* A father can be an incredibly valuable asset during a heist. He can fill the role of bellhop, front desk man, server in the kitchen, and bar tender and miraculously show up at the most convenient times and places to help you accomplish your goal.

As much as I tried not to let the details bother me, I couldn't dismiss things like how the lead character just happened to know the schematics, security codes, and electronic wiring of the security system they were breaking into if he had been in prison for years and his former occupation was a policeman as opposed to a security expert..

On a positive note, this movie features the obligatory chase scene through a hotel kitchen which is becoming a staple for most movies.

I give Man On A Ledge 6.8 generous stars.I know it wasn't that good and is filled with plot holes, but I really wanted to see a movie and I found it entertaining and still kind of liked it.


1 comment:

MPF said...

6.8 is generous enough for this movie I believe. The plot was a little bit too far-fetched for me, but like you I needed to see a movie and found this entertaining enough!

 
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