Not the first jumper Jamie Bell has ever seen. Still, it's about as intriguing. Ex cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) has been jailed for a crime he didn't commit. He escapes during a day release for his father's funeral with the help of his brother (Jamie Bell). The next time we see him, he's checking in to a hotel in midtown, having breakfast in his room, sipping champagne and then before stepping out of the window thirty plus floors up, he takes the trouble to wipe his fingerprints off all of the cutlery and every other thing he's touched (apart from the window frame, incidentally, how did nobody spot that in continuity?). There you have it. He's a man. On a ledge. Go figure.
Well, obviously this would be the world's shortest and dullest movie if there was nothing more to it. And like Phone Booth, of which this is the most immediately reminiscent comparison, you can rest easy, knowing that whilst there may not be much to the film to tax your grey matter, there is at least something other than gawping up at the side of the building getting nothing more for your trouble than a crick in the neck.
There are a number of twists here that make telling you too much about the plot redundant, but suffice to say there are a number of layers to the storyline that keep you guessing. Worthington's performance as Cassidy, innocent, on the run, desperate and apparently crying out for help is, well, not what you'd call rounded. It's not easy, though, performing convincingly on a ledge, even if in reality, it's not quite as dangerous as you might be led to believe. Banks has the benefit of being indoors for most of the movie, but even she has a problem portraying a ball-busting negotiator with a heart of gold. The script is sub-standard, one dimensional and often pedestrian and/or predictable. Given the scenario, this doesn't make for a good fit. There are a couple of plot holes that go unnoticed, or more likely, avoided and the whole thing feels haphazard and half-cocked.
I would really have liked to extol this movie, as I think Worthington needs a break, acting-wise, and he had the chance to show it here, but he doesn't pull it off. Never predatory in his delivery when he has the chance, Cassidy comes off as diluted and a bit too much of an everyman, when this is clearly not the intention.
For the fan of action movies, this is probably a little lacking. The same is true for thriller fans, as there is never enough tension. It appears to fall somewhere in the middle of the two and despite the odd twist, there is a little to shout about. Overall, this is decidedly average stuff. It won't stay long in the memory as there is little to raise it above the shoulders of a host of similar titles that are equally unfulfilling.
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