Man on a Ledge

I don't like it when stupid movies try to tell the viewer that they're not stupid, but they are not able to succeed in that... Man on a Ledge is one of those movies. The idea is not bad (for example, in one of those CSI TV series such an episode would be more than good, and I mean that without irony) and the cast is at least interesting. Well, what can you do? At least it didn't hurt too much. (09/20/2012)

Spike Lee’s Inside Man without a brain. This naive thriller wants to be thoughtful and one step ahead of the viewer, but it achieves the opposite effect – from the initial lapses in logic through the deluge of clichés to the unwittingly ridiculous climax that insults the viewer’s intelligence. It is not meant as a parody and tries to look clever and cool. The technical aspect is professional but the script lacks cohesion, and the director fails in guiding the actors - especially Elizabeth Banks, who seems completely clueless as to what she is supposed to be doing in any given scene. (02/01/2012)

Ocean’s Eleven (slyness, elegance, a team, a main boss supervillain in an expensive suit), Phone Booth (attempt at thrilling pace and tense dialogues), Inside Man (nothing is as it seems). It's a mix of a number of films without any real balls. Without Genesis Rodriguez (for her looks) and Ed Harris, it would be significantly weaker than the standard in this genre. Fortunately, the chemistry between Sam Worthington and Elizabeth Banks works pretty well. Worth watching once and putting it on the shelf, so it can gather dust. (07/07/2012)

Fairly simple claptrap for omnivores. The story is the trailer and a couple of extra twists (+ cynical Ed Harris) that bring the movie up to three-star level. The screenplay is dumbly assembled and the whole plan in fact makes no sense. I liked the crowd’s realistic behavior at most times. A greedy flock of sheep shouting “Jump!" (05/10/2012)

Elizabeth Banks needed a little more for me to believe that she is truly a professional in negotiation. But let's start from the beginning. "Man on a Ledge" reveals everything to us right from the start. There is no secret left in the film, and that is a shame. The first quarter of an hour looks good, but then suddenly all the cards are revealed. What would poker look like if everyone laid their cards on the table and then decided how much to bet and who would fold? Everyone would give up on that kind of poker. Sam Worthington plays Nick Cassidy, who climbs out of his hotel room onto a ledge and seems like he wants to jump. He doesn't, and waits for the police so he can order the mentioned negotiation specialist, Elizabeth Banks, who is simply terrible. As if she doesn't know what she's playing at all. When they talk a little, the audience suddenly realizes, very soon, why Nick is on the roof. At that moment, the audience loses interest in the plot because everything is already told to them. From a fairly good thriller, it then becomes an ordinary heist film - simply a film about a robbery, which is not saved even by the witty Jamie Bell and his sexy colleague. The tense moments from the beginning are killed by pseudo-comedic elements, so nothing like King and his story about the ledge happens. The ending is already completely dumb in a Hollywood way, which Ed Harris, who is the biggest positive, does not deserve. Compared to this film, I would definitely prefer "The Master Plan" from recent times. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/07/mistrovsky-plan-nerdi-bel-ami-susi.html (02/24/2013)