The Ledge (2011) 6.6
Ratings:
6.6/10 from 14,480 users
Metascore: 34/100
Reviews: 77 user | 56 critic | 14 from Metacritic.com A police officer looks to talk down a young man lured by his lover's husband to the ledge of a high rise, where he has one hour to contemplate a fateful decision. Director:Matthew ChapmanWriter:Matthew Chapman |
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I think the harsh criticisms of the film are outright ridiculousalong with the excessive accolades. From a basic film critique: The Ledge definitely delivers on maintaining tension/suspense. I think the subtleties here (e.g., Liv Tyler's anti-make-up "make-up") will cause people to feel uncomfortable, but without knowing that it's all intentional.
There is a massive delusion among Christians that fundamentalism and religiously inspired bigotry only manifest in a small percentage of extremists. This just isn't true. If it was, I'd feel dramatically safer and more comfortable in public discussing atheism with a stranger!
The atmosphere is very realistic, and the uncomfortable (at times) dialog is accurate to the reality of proselytism in the guise of philosophical discussion. The movie even captures how many atheists feel when observing prayer, and this is very rare to see in the spot light.
I really wasn't convinced by any of the characters' back-stories. They seemed unnecessarily extreme in a movie that is driven by its subtleties. They really contrasted with the rest of the writing, and broke the illusion of realism. I also didn't find the acting convincing on this level. In particular: Given Shauna's history, she seemed to be unrealistically open and trusting towards Gavintheir interactions felt a bit contrived and very rushed.
Unfortunately the film doesn't explore its topics at much depth, while presenting more rudimentary/common arguments. However, this only added realism to the dialog for me. I feel it has more intellectually to offer symbolically than literally.
The Ledge displays a psychological perspective of an atheist through its atmosphere, and that alone makes it unique and worth seeing.