Susan Granger’s review of “The Ledge” (IFC Films)
Writer/director Matthew Chapman has crafted a neo-noir, race-against-time psychological thriller that amounts to so much less than the sum of its parts.
It begins as Police Detective Hollis (Terrence Howard), is told that he’s sterile and can never sire children. Shortly afterward, he’s summoned to talk down a ‘jumper’ perched on the ledge of an apartment building. That’s Gavin (Charlie Hunnam), an assistant hotel manager.
“I’m trained to talk to you for hours on end,” Hollis tells him, “What’s your problem?”
As it turns out, both men have serious issues. Married for 15 years, Hollis has two young children. How will he cope with the discovery that he’s not their biological father? And Gavin, an atheist, has been having a clandestine affair with a married neighbor, Shana (Liv Tyler), whose evangelical, Bible-thumping, Born Again husband, Joe (Patrick Wilson), is threatening to kill her if Gavin doesn’t jump exactly at noon. Will he really take the suicidal leap?
At one point, Shana shrugs, saying, “It’s more complicated than you think.” She’s right. And that’s the problem. Gavin’s not only an atheist but he has a gay, HIV-positive roommate, and Joe is aggressively homophobic.
Matthew Chapman is the great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin and author of “Trials of The Monkey – An Accidental Memoir,” “40 Days and 40 Nights – Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin, and Other Oddities on Trial in Pennsylvania,” as well as co-founder of Science Debate (http://www.sciencedebate.org). He’s obviously passionate about religious/philosophical discussion but, unfortunately, this screenplay is so artificial, filled with clichéd conventions and stilted dialogue, that he’s totally dependent on the skills of his actors.
Charlie Hunnam’s British accent surfaces occasionally, proving an artificial distraction, while doe-eyed Liv Tyler falls into a shallow, stereotypical rut. So Terrence Howard and Patrick Wilson skillfully propel the suspense. Which is fascinating since Wilson originally starred in stage musicals like “The Full Monty,” “Oklahoma” and “Carousel,” before being cast in dramas like “Little Children” and “Watchmen.”
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Ledge” is a simplistic, contrived 5, preaching to the choir.
