Some good in this weekend’s flicks
MAN ON A LEDGE
3 stars • Rated PG-13
This nail-biting suspense thriller finds lead actor Sam Worthington (“Avatar,” “Terminator Salvation” and “The Debt”) standing outside the 21st floor of his midtown Manhattan hotel room. He plays ex-cop Nick Cassidy, who is now serving a 25-year sentence for the theft of a priceless diamond. He is not up there on display sharing space with the pigeons for the great view of the New York City skyline. He treats this daredevil feat as his last chance to prove his innocence after his judicial appeal was denied.
After ordering a meal and a bottle of champagne from room service, Nick writes a suicide note stating that he will exit this world as he entered it. He closes with the word “innocent” in capital letters.
The first police officer on the scene is Detective Jack Dougherty (Edward Burns from “Saving Private Ryan”). He describes the unidentified jumper as being in his mid-30s. Nick asks specifically for Detective Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks from “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and “W.”) of the NYPD hostage negotiation unit.
After being awakened by a telephone call and suffering with a hangover, Lydia arrives on the scene. She leans out the windowsill and finds a desperate man staring off into the abyss. Nick requested this good-looking blonde officer because she became famous after losing a previous jumper off the Brooklyn Bridge.
As Lydia engages Nick in conversation in an attempt to coax him back into the safe environs of the hotel room, she becomes aware that things aren’t as straightforward and clear cut as they appear to be. She trusts her instincts that Nick is an innocent man rather than a sociopath.
Although the ledge is the focal point, there are lots of subplots put in motion in the immediate vicinity. The real prize is a valuable object in a nearby security-controlled building.
This exciting crowd-pleaser holds your interest. While it is nerve wracking watching Nick up on the ledge, you develop the same rubber-necking curiosity as the gathering crowd of onlookers on the sidewalk. You have no clue what is actually happening until midway through this brain teaser.
The other principal players include Jamie Bell (“Billy Elliot,” “Defiance” and “Jumper”) as Nick’s younger brother Joey; hot new talent Genesis Rodriguez (the upcoming “Casa de mi Padre”) as Joey’s girlfriend Angie; Ed Harris (“Gone Baby Gone” and “A History of Violence”) as the rich real estate developer and jewelry mogul David Englander; Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer”) as television eyewitness news reporter Suzie Morales; Anthony Mackie (“The Adjustment Bureau” and “The Hurt Locker”) as Nick’s former partner on the police force and best friend Mike Ackerman; and William Sadler (“The Shawshank Redemption” and “The Green Mile”) as the hotel valet.
Congratulations are in order to director Asger Leth and screenwriter Pablo F. Fenjves for the ingenious storytelling in their joint feature film debuts. The superb editing and brisk pacing are additional strengths of the first must-see movie of 2012. Some of the dialogue during the 102-minute running time is in Spanish with easy-to-read English subtitles.
While professional football is on hiatus this weekend before next Sunday’s Super Bowl, do yourself a favor and check out this high-flying crime caper.
THE GREY
2 and a half stars • Rated R
This adventure drama goes beyond the survival instinct and truly defines the essence of being human with a lifetime of memories.
World class actor Liam Neeson (“Taken” and “Schindler’s List”) reunites with “The A-Team” (2010) director Joe Carnahan (“Narc”) in a life-or-death struggle battling the elements and a den of ferocious wolves in the Alaskan wilderness.
The look and feel of this movie is so realistic that you may find yourself shivering in your seat and enveloped by fear.
Irishman John Ottway (Neeson) is a lonely soul working for a petroleum company at a remote oil refinery as a sharpshooter in charge of protecting the employees from wild beasts.
In narration, he discloses his inner thoughts while writing a letter to his wife (Anne Openshaw).
After witnessing a bar fight, he goes outside in a depressed state. The next day he boards a 737 flying to Anchorage with a motley group of misfits returning to civilization for some much needed rest and relaxation.
The plane experiences lots of turbulence and then crashes in the middle of nowhere.
Ottway wakes up on the ground covered with snow. The sound of the wind blowing cuts through the eerie silence.
He starts walking. He sees the plane wreckage and lots of blood. There are seven other passengers still alive.
Rather than staying put and freezing to death, Ottway takes charge and encourages the survivors to start walking to safer ground.
The remainder of the movie shows the futile efforts made by these unlucky victims to stay alive.
It becomes a painful and arduous task to sit through the nearly two hour running time. By the last 30 minutes, you’ve had enough already of their various demises as the point of no return is reached.
The movie relies more on dialogue than action as we get to know the characters. Despite their dire circumstances, they can still laugh and reminisce about their loved ones.Philosophical musings about faith and a belief in God are brought up as they sit around a fire attempting to stay warm and ward off the predatory carnivores.
Ottway recalls his childhood and the following poem written by his father is a perfect summation of this film.
“Once more into the fray. Into the last good fight I’ll ever know. To live or die on this day.”
This is one of Neeson’s better performances on film and worthy of awards consideration.
The nearly unrecognizable supporting cast includes Dermot Mulroney (“The Family Stone” and “About Schmidt”), Frank Grillo (“Warrior”), Dallas Roberts (“Rubicon” and “A Home at the End of the World”) and James Badge Dale (“Rubicon” and “The Pacific”). They each get moments to shine and show off their dramatic chops.
The filmmakers made the astute decision to shoot last winter on location in Smithers, British Columbia, Canada. The very low visibility, knee-deep snow drifts, roaring wind and desolation make for a foreboding background. This same rugged terrain on the side of a mountain was the setting for “Eight Below” (2006).
Live wolves appear in the bulk of the film with minimal use of CGI and animatronic puppets. We hear their scary howling and feel their deadly presence more often than see them in the flesh. A scene beginning with a pair of glowing eyes is unforgettable.
The cinematography is spectacular, especially the scenes inside the airplane during the crash sequence. This is one movie where the handheld camera is used effectively.
The production design of the disassembled plane and the attendant wreckage is top drawer.
Other strengths include the lighting, facial close-ups, makeup and sound effects.
The screenplay by Carnahan and Ian Mackenzie Jeffers is based on Jeffers’ short story “Ghost Walker.”
You may want to remain seated through the closing credits for a final scene tacked on to the ambiguous ending.
This harrowing survival tale should bring to mind similar genre films such as “Deliverance,” “Man in the Wilderness” and “Flight of the Phoenix.”
Top 5 Flick Picks1. Extremely Loud Incredibly Close
2. A Dangerous Method 3. Man on a Ledge 4. Albert Nobbs 5. The Grey
Article source: http://www.kccommunitynews.com/liberty-tribune-community-living/30315948/detail.html