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MAN ON A LEDGEMovie Reviews
Thriller about an ex-cop and now wanted fugitive who stands on the ledge of a high-rise building while an NYPD negotiator tries to talk him down. Cast:Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Ed HarrisDirector:Asger LethRelease Date:January 27, 2012DVD Release:May 29, 2012From:Summit EntertainmentRating:PG-13Length:1 hr. 42 min.
Man on a Ledge played to fair reviews. • Rene Rodriguez wrote in the Miami Herald, "I couldn't have cared less whether or not Nick made it through the movie alive.... 'Man on a Ledge' just made me think of an old Van Halen song: 'Jump.' " • And James Berardinelli wrote for Reel Views, "...has a great hook, a fast pace, and a major letdown of an ending." More Reviews Below...
Man on a Ledge Positive Reviews (44 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...cop-turned-con Nick (Sam Worthington) hopes to clear his name by hanging onto the side of a high-rise... silly but pulsing..."(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 29 words, 02/02/12
Mary Pols, Time: MODERATE "...slight, but crowd-pleasing... stays aloft on the sparks provided by Banks, Ed Burns... Anthony Mackie... and particularly, Bell and Rodriguez."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 735 words, 01/26/12
Keith Staskiewicz, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "Despite the occasional dumb fun, the leap of logic required to make it all work is enough to leave your brain pancaked on the sidewalk."(See all of Keith Staskiewicz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 154 words, 01/27/12
Claudia Puig, USA Today: WEAK(cg) "...the film succumbs to clichés, grows convoluted and outlandish, and winds up dead on arrival. Faulty logic is too pervasive and flashes of dark humor are too few."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 01/27/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...if we're experienced moviegoers, we have a good idea he isn't going to jump anytime real soon, because then the movie would be over, get it?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 822 words, 01/27/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...has a great hook, a fast pace, and a major letdown of an ending.... Those who are more forgiving of lame endings than I am may walk away having enjoyed themselves."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 812 words, 01/25/12
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Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "Asger Leth seems to want things both ways, seeking gritty, socially relevant New York realism from an unconvincingly glam cast... [but] saddled with hokey dialogue."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 310 words, 01/27/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Director Asger Leth does well in taking us to dizzying heights. If only he had found a way to ground that thrill in some real pathos as well."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 683 words, 01/27/12
Sara Stewart, New York Post: WEAK(cg) "...unconvincing and incoherent... Stranding Sam Worthington on a foot of concrete where he can't get into even one fistfight seems like a waste of a good paycheck."(See all of Sara Stewart's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 01/27/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: MODERATE(cg) "...if we're experienced moviegoers, we have a good idea he isn't going to jump anytime real soon, because then the movie would be over, get it?"(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 822 words, 01/27/12
Brian Miller, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "There are nods to Occupy Wall Street and 'Dog Day Afternoon,' but the whole thing plays like random outtakes from 'Law & Order.' "(See all of Brian Miller's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 667 words, 01/25/12
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "At first it seems like a film about the fear of heights; after the first half hour, the only real tension is worrying about how low it might sink."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 564 words, 01/27/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "It's as dumb as a box of rocks, but it's the cheesy, shameless kind of dumb where everyone seems to be having a good time - except maybe Worthington..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 01/26/12
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...preposterous... has its diverting moments, but by the time it has reached its too-pat final twist, it turns out to be a title desperately in search of a movie."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 357 words, 01/27/12
Barbara Vancheri, Philadelphia Inquirer: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "To fully enjoy 'Man on a Ledge,' you should take your critical faculties and lock them in one of those little hotel safes."(See all of Barbara Vancheri's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 578 words, 01/27/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "The best one can say of the screenplay by Pablo Fenjves is that it's less implausible than his earlier work as a staffer on the National Enquirer..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 434 words, 01/27/12
Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger: MODERATE(cg) "...one of the few movies that, with its skyscraper action scenes, probably needed to be made in 3-D. As it is, though, it's barely in 2-D..."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 01/27/12
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...grabs the audience's attention, engages its anxieties, stokes its resentments and, at the finish, sends people out saying, 'That was good.' "(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 01/27/12
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: POOR(cg) "...the story's resolution and a final scene are so steeped in implausibility as to see this movie fall, as if from a great height, into extreme silliness."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 377 words, 01/27/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: POOR(cg) "I couldn't have cared less whether or not Nick made it through the movie alive.... 'Man on a Ledge' just made me think of an old Van Halen song: 'Jump.' "(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 01/27/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (10 Reviews)
Brian Miller, Village Voice/LA Weekly: POOR "There are nods to Occupy Wall Street and 'Dog Day Afternoon,' but the whole thing plays like random outtakes from 'Law & Order.' "(See all of Brian Miller's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 667 words, 01/25/12
Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend: POOR(cg) "...an asinine, poor excuse for entertainment.... I'm sure 'Man on a Ledge' sounded interesting when it was first pitched, but the result is garbage."(See all of Eric Eisenberg's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 725 words, 01/29/12
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "Pablo Fenjves interweaves his story lines with skill, disclosing plot points deftly enough to make them seem plausible, and injecting enough topical subtext..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 148 words, 01/26/12
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: GOOD(cg) "...on shaky footing when it comes to plausibility. But it believes so strongly in its own preposterousness that it almost - almost - gets us to make the leap."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 996 words, 01/26/12
Jaime N. Christley, Slant: POOR(cg) "...a hot mess... takes some of the stalest chestnuts in the long, venerated legacy of the framed-cop-trying-to-clear-his-name genre and somehow fucks it up..."(See all of Jaime N. Christley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 605 words, 01/25/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "It's as dumb as a box of rocks, but it's the cheesy, shameless kind of dumb where everyone seems to be having a good time - except maybe Worthington..."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 240 words, 01/26/12
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: WEAK(cg) "Asger Leth builds suspense in the heist scenes, but doesn't capture the Big Apple's colorful character, so everything feels overcooked and slightly phony."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 01/27/12
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "...manages to both amuse and provoke... a wryly twisted caper film.... There is a lot to forgive... But there are deft touches, too..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 821 words, 01/27/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Director Asger Leth does well in taking us to dizzying heights. If only he had found a way to ground that thrill in some real pathos as well."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 683 words, 01/27/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: WEAK "...contrived... too busy to bore, but too farfetched to thrill, combining routine heist-thriller machinations with dialogue that often thuds like a body hitting asphalt."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 01/23/12
Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter: FAIR "There's never the feeling that wronged cop Sam Worthington is in any real danger... isn't a complete letdown, thanks mainly to a colorful cast..."(See all of Michael Rechtshaffen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 511 words, 01/23/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: MODERATE "Director Asger Leth does well in taking us to dizzying heights. If only he had found a way to ground that thrill in some real pathos as well."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 683 words, 01/27/12
John Anderson, Wall Street Journal: GOOD "...manages to both amuse and provoke... a wryly twisted caper film.... There is a lot to forgive... But there are deft touches, too..."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 821 words, 01/27/12
17.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Man on a Ledge's reviews are separated by an average 17.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Man on a Ledge (44 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Man on a Ledge's reviews cover 85.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 22,646 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 515 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Man on a Ledge Coverage, Volume & Length (44 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 14.0 Hours After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Man on a Ledge's reviews on average broke 14.0 hours after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Man on a Ledge's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Man on a Ledge (44 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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