Man on a Ledge 4K Blu-ray Review
STORY
Man on a Ledge presents ex-cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington, Avatar, and Terminator Salvation) who escapes from prison to attempt to steal a $40 million dollar diamond from businessman David Englander (Ed Harris). He doesn't want to steal the diamond for financial purposes but to prove his innocence and regain his freedom. Cassidy takes it upon himself to step out on a ledge and threaten to jump in exchange for attention and time from the NYPD. While all this is happening his brother Joey (Jamie Bell) is in a rush to get his hands on the diamond and prove his brother innocent as well.
REVIEW
This was my first time ever watching Man on a Ledge and I was very pleasantly surprised by how intriguing the setup of the story was. While it is not too intricate, it does a good job of grabbing your attention and keeping you wondering where this is all going. My only gripe with the plot as a whole is that there where a few things that had to happen in a very specific way for things to workout. I know a lot of movies rely on this type of stuff but it did stand out a bit more in Man on a Ledge. If you're an experienced cinephile it can become a bit hard to overlook a lot of these things, especially as the movie reaches its climax.
Sam Worthington does as admirable job of playing a cop who is desperate and willing to do anything to get his old life back. There isn't a lot of emotion in his character given the situation he is facing. I would have liked more depth to his character, especially considering that this isn't an action packed film and relies on the character's conversations to carry it along. I will say that Worthington does not seem to be phoning it in, but his character is still a bit bland and I'm not sure I can put that on Worthington.
Elizabeth Banks plays Lydia Mercer, a negotiator who isn't so popular around her fellow coworkers due to some of her past failures. It was odd for me to see Banks in a serious role, but she brought a nice balance to an otherwise monotone cast of characters. The rest of the cast is pretty stacked however and includes well known talents such as Ed Harris, Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, and Kyra Sedgwick. Believe it or not, they all actually get their fair share of screen time but none of them really stood out to me.
All in all, Man on a Ledge is a bit of a dialogue driven film with a heist film interwoven in its backdrop. The plot can be a bit over the top in some ways but overall it is a film that is worth watching as long as you sit back and just agree with what it has to offer.
VIDEO
This is my first Lionsgate 4K transfer and I was honestly very impressed. The film is presented in 2160p HD in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio that does look more than acceptable on screen. The film is just about seven years old and looks great. I did notice some scenes were a bit washed out but that majority of that was within the first 15 minutes, as the movie progressed and the environment became darker, the video quality became better and better. I was able to notice a lot of detail on the characters and especially in the scenes that took place indoors. The majority of the film does take place outdoors and were are treated with a few shots of the streets of New York and there were a lot of crisp edges and refined textures on the buildings. If you're on the fence about picking this up in 4K and are wondering if the video quality is worth it, then I would say it is definitely worth upgrading.
AUDIO
This transfer does use a brand new Dolby Atmos track. The audio quality was on par with the video quality. There were some sequences where the sound really took over my living room but the majority of the improvements in sound where noticed in dialogue heavy scenes. The conversations that took place out on the ledge where distinguishable and included a nice balance of environment noise from the people conversing down below on the street. While this might not be an audio track that challenges your setup, it is definitely nothing to complain about.
EXTRAS
Not too many extras are included.
- “The Ledge” Featurette
- Trailer with Commentary by Elizabeth Banks
LANGUAGE
- English and Spanish
SUBTITLES
- English, English SDH, and Spanish
FINAL THOUGHTS
Man on a Ledge is a fun movie that is worth your time despite its flaws. If you're someone looking to upgrade your Blu-ray or DVD copy then I would say it is definitely worth picking up.
Man on a Ledge arrives on 4K Ultra HD™ Combo Pack (plus Blu-ray™ and Digital) April 9 from Lionsgate.
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