The Ledge

Writer-director Matthew Chapman has crafted a neo-noir, race-against-time psychological thriller that amounts to much less than the sum of its parts. Shortly after police detective Hollis Lucetti (Terrence Howard) learns that he is sterile, he's summoned to talk down a “jumper” named Gavin (Charlie Hunnam), who is perched on the ledge of an apartment building. Both men have serious issues. Married for 15 years, Hollis has two young children and now must 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 (Liv Tyler) whose evangelical, Bible-thumping, homophobic, born-again husband (Patrick Wilson) is threatening to kill her if Gavin doesn't jump exactly at noon. Will he take the suicidal leap? A great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin, Chapman is obviously passionate about religious/philosophical discussion, but The Ledge is both simplistic and artificial (loaded with clichés and stilted dialogue), fatal flaws that solid performances by Howard and Wilson simply cannot overcome. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include interviews with producer Mark Damon (29 min.), costar Charlie Hunnam (27 min.), writer/director Matthew Chapman (20 min.), costar Patrick Wilson (19 min.), and producer Michael Mailer (12 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)