Man on a Ledge

Wrongly convicted ex-cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington)—now a recently escaped prisoner—checks into Manhattan's Roosevelt Hotel, devours a lobster lunch with champagne, opens the window and climbs out on the ledge, threatening to jump and attracting a gawking crowd. But is he really suicidal? That's the question facing a disgraced NYPD negotiator (Elizabeth Banks), her cynical cohort (Edward Burns), Nick's former partner (Anthony Mackie), and a jaded TV reporter (Kyra Sedgwick) who wants to exploit the standoff as long as possible. What is Nick's relationship with a villainous real estate tycoon (Ed Harris) whose offices are nearby? And will Nick's younger brother (Jamie Bell) and his Hispanic girlfriend (Genesis Rodriguez) be able to pull off a stealthy $40 million diamond heist that's fraught with comic danger? As the plot unravels, things turn out to be not what they seem, but the conclusion is utterly predictable in filmmaker Asger Leth's contrived, cliché-riddled, far-fetched twist on the fugitive-on-the-run formula. Not a necessary purchase. (S. Granger)