Man on a Ledge throws logic off a ledge

Plot holes and flaws in reason weaken the Jan. 27 movie release Man on a Ledge. The basis of this movie requires the viewer to do either of the following: leave your logic at the door, or leave.

Sentenced to prison for purportedly stealing a $40 million dollar diamond, former cop Nick Cassidy makes a desperate bid for proving his innocence. How so? By threatening to jump off the window ledge of a New York skyscraper, of course. He won’t be coming down until someone helps win his freedom.

There’s your summary. The storyline drew this reporter in at first, too. Sadly, there isn’t much hope for a movie made of cheap thrills, a predictable cast of characters, and gaps in the plot’s credibility.

Exploiting the common fear of heights is just what the writer of this movie accomplished, because why in the world would any sane man put himself in that situation willingly? There are more than enough almost-slips in this movie and frankly, the sight of Cassidy balancing on that ledge is enough to cause a decent whoosh of adrenaline. An admittedly good car chase in the first half-hour won some points. The only thing to keep in mind is that these are unoriginal, overused, mindless techniques to get a rise out of the audience. If you’re into that sort of thing, though, that’s perfectly fine.

For a man on a mission to save his own skin, Cassidy’s daringness – or stupidity – certainly builds suspense around his story and the mystery of why he would risk life and limb 21 stories above Manhattan. But the supporting cast of characters hardly encourages the viewer to engage with, or even like, any of them. Their roles are worn-out, complete with the jerk cop who undergoes something of a change of tact, the obligatory eye-candy girlfriend, and the close friend who turns out to be – spoiler alert – not so friendly in the end.

As for flaws in believability, the actions of the NYPD and the legal system leave a bad taste in the mouth. For one incident of theft, Cassidy’s given decades, as in plural, of jail time. The judge denies his legal appeals. New York’s cops don’t even recognize Cassidy as their ex-coworker, although even if they had, they’d probably lack the sense to put two and two together to realize why the man’s threatening to jump in the first place.

Man on a Ledge would be best as an airline movie; not really worth seeking out on your own, but hey, it’s there in front of you and a way to kill time. So why not? If you’re out on the town with two hours to fry and nothing else to hold your attention, you may as well give this movie a go. Just make sure to find a nice safe spot outside the theater for your logical self to wait in the meantime.