The Elizabeth Banks Action Thriller On Netflix That Demands You Pay Attention
Long before her career as a filmmaker brought her to directorial credits for films such as Cocaine Bear, Elizabeth Banks starred in a number of excellent films that flew mostly under the radar. One such film, Man On A Ledge, is an intense action thriller that premiered in 2012, which will surely activate the fight-or-flight instinct of any home viewer who has even a passing fear of heights. Man On A Ledge is currently available to stream on Netflix.
The film was written by Trophy Wife screenwriter Pablo F. Fenjves and directed by Move On filmmaker Asger Leth. The film was mostly shot on location in New York, atop the famed Roosevelt Hotel, which serves as the home for a number of classic films, including Men In Black 3, The French Connection, Maid In Manhattan, and dozens of popular television episodes.
Man On A Ledge, starring Elizabeth Banks and Sam Worthington, is now streaming on Netflix.
During the production of Man On A Ledge, a large rail prop was utilized in order to make the 250-foot-tall building appear to be even taller in order to increase anxiety within viewers and appropriately match post-production shots of the rooftop.
Man On A Ledge stars Elizabeth Banks alongside Rocketman‘s Jamie Bell, Mandy Gonzalez, William Sadler, J. Smith-Cameron, Ed Harris, Marvel Cinematic Universe star Anthony Mackie, and Avatar‘s Sam Worthington. Worthington was apparently instrumental in getting the production off the ground, as his deeply felt fear of heights made him highly interested in the script. The star would soon come to terms with his fears, as many of his scenes were shot on the ledge of the Roosevelt Hotel, with protective wiring strategically placed to ensure his safety.
Man On A Ledge centers on Sam Worthington’s Nick Cassidy, a former police officer who has received a 25-year sentence for stealing a priceless diamond. Under an assumed identity, Cassidy checks into the historic Roosevelt Hotel in New York to climb to the roof and commit suicide. After making a scene on the ledge of the building, the crowd below calls the police, who quickly send a team, including a skilled negotiator, Elizabeth Banks’ Lydia Mercer.
Man On A Ledge did manage to make a small amount at the box office, barely recovering its estimated $42 million production budget with a worldwide gross of $47.6 million.
Once Mercer gets inside and converses with the man on a ledge, she quickly ascertains his true identity and, thus, his motive for attempting to end his own life. Cassidy, however, maintains his innocence, stating the owner of the diamond, Ed Harris’ David Englander, has lost all of his money in poor investments and has framed Cassidy as a means to recuperate some of his losses.
As Cassidy’s spectacle becomes a media circus, his brother and his brother’s girlfriend attempt to break into Englander’s vault on the other side of town, proving that the diamond was in Englander’s possession all along.
In order to dictate the instructions to his brother through an earpiece while flanked by cameras, police presence, and the negotiator, the man on a ledge speaks in a number of seemingly vacuous double entendres.
As the film continues, a number of other police officers arrive, uncovering an entire faction of corruption within the department, creating a twisted web of deceit and mistrust. Man On A Ledge then concludes with a final set-piece, which has a number of cinematic twists and turns, resulting in a stunning conclusion.
Man On A Ledge earned only $47 million at the box office, barely passing its budget of $42 million.
Though the film managed to garner a few cult followers, Man On A Ledge failed to impress critics during its initial run at the box office, resulting in a fairly poor 31 percent critic score on the review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes.
Man On A Ledge did manage to make a small amount at the box office, barely recovering its estimated $42 million production budget with a worldwide gross of $47.6 million. Of course, these production budgets rarely account for additional funds spent on the film, including marketing costs and other considerations, meaning the studio likely viewed the film as a financial loss.
Regardless, a number of fans of the film have sung its praises on the internet in the years since its initial release, leaving some Netflix subscribers to search for the film at home. If you’re interested in checking it out, Man On A Ledge is currently available to stream on Netflix.
