The Ledge

Name: The Ledge
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Released: July 8, 2011
Duration: 101 min
Rating: 34

2011

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 37 Ratings

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5.8

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5.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 37 Ratings

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The Ledge

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date: July 8, 2011 | R

Summary: After embarking on a passionate affair with his evangelical neighbor's wife, Gavin soon finds himself in a battle of wills that will have life or death consequences. As a nonbeliever, Gavin is lured by his lover's husband to the ledge of a high rise and told he has one hour to make a choice between his life or the one he loves. WithoutAfter embarking on a passionate affair with his evangelical neighbor's wife, Gavin soon finds himself in a battle of wills that will have life or death consequences. As a nonbeliever, Gavin is lured by his lover's husband to the ledge of a high rise and told he has one hour to make a choice between his life or the one he loves. Without faith in an afterlife, will he be able to make a decision? It's up to police officer Hollis to save both their lives, but the clock is ticking in this edge-of-your-seat film that will leave you gasping until the final frame. (IFC Films)… Expand

Director: Matthew Chapman

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller

Rating: R

Runtime: 101 min

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Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer

Jul 8, 2011

Chapman coaxes good performances from his cast, especially Wilson, who makes Joe's immense conflicts a matter of empathy as much as abhorrence. Read full review

Movieline Stephanie Zacharek

Jul 7, 2011

Getting a movie's setup right is one thing. But following through on an intriguing premise is the hard part, and that's where Matthew Chapman's The Ledge, a thriller that wrangles with intricate ideas about faith and religious extremism, goes splat. Read full review

Noel Murray

Jul 7, 2011

The Ledge is a sometimes-fascinating, often-aggravating chamber thriller that works best when it's doubling as an inquiry into faith. Read full review

Boxoffice Magazine Ray Greene

Jul 2, 2011

Before The Ledge descends into third act melodrama, there are enough intriguing moments to make the viewer sense the better film this one wanted to be. A real shame that one didn't make it to the screen. Read full review

Dennis Harvey

Jul 2, 2011

There's a great deal of on-the-nose talk here about faith, rationality, sin and so forth. But Chapman's sincerity is undercut by the crudely melodramatic explanations of why his principals believe as they do. Read full review

Stephen Holden

Jul 7, 2011

The Ledge, it should be noted, is not dumb. What undoes it is its mechanical structure: a stale dramatic formula of the sort taught in elementary playwriting classes. Read full review

Jesse Cataldo

Jul 5, 2011

There's nothing wrong with establishing a field of unlikable characters, but The Ledge not only relies on paper-thin stereotypes, it keeps its allegiances clear from the beginning. Read full review

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User Reviews

thevictim

Jul 23, 2011

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Excellent movie with well thought out plot. By the end of the movie, it makes your glad for what you do have in life. I feel it depicted a day in a life of an atheist pretty well. Minus the cheating to convert someones beliefs. :)… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Madlyn

Jul 11, 2011

I loved everything about this movie. The acting and actors were just perfect, the story was interesting. Above all, it was a unique storyline. I usually have a hard time even sitting through a movie, but not this one. I didn't want it to end. I can't understand anyone not enjoying this film.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

sketchstudios

Jul 11, 2011

The Ledge is one of the most recent films I've seen that carries with it a great debate within that convey's the basic idea of religion taken too far. From 9/11 to bigotry, this movie has hit the nail on the head converting it on screen. The suspense between the logical and unreasonableThe Ledge is one of the most recent films I've seen that carries with it a great debate within that convey's the basic idea of religion taken too far. From 9/11 to bigotry, this movie has hit the nail on the head converting it on screen. The suspense between the logical and unreasonable quickly becomes a battle of good and evil. For the general audience this will be a refreshing change of who the villian is portrayed as, which is truthful in many ways of its own. I loved every minute of it and would recommend it for an all around good drama-triller that is sure to stir up conversations afterwards with the people you watched it with.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

kbmacdowell

Jul 23, 2011

The Ledge is a sparse, uncluttered film challenging the viewer to confront the complexity of human life and how we attempt to make sense of our experiences. Most notably the film explores these issues at the intersection of religion. In Joe, Chapman finds his antagonist. Itâ

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

meridith

Jul 9, 2011

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I loved the movie. nothing good comes from a love triangle and going to the extreme to prove ones love is extreme. The movie itself is a great. Their seems to be a couple of different story lines that innertwine.And all the actors are brilliant!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

keythah

Jul 11, 2011

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Because the marketing blitz focused on it being an "atheist" film, I went to see it but expected it to be ham-fisted. Instead, it was beautiful, moving, somewhat ambivalent, and ultimately touching: the opposite of ham-fisted. Sound and visual cues are used, and there is a lot of showing instead of telling.

The fact that there are some very talented actors giving some very good performances helps, as does how almost every character is sympathetic despite being at odds with the others. Patrick Wilson's character in particular was surprisingly sympathetic. He is essentially the antagonist in terms of the plot but it's hard to truly see him as the villain.

The stereotype of the religious woman who encounters an eye-opening atheist man clearly exists here, but in a way, it's almost an inversion of the "wild woman makes tame man's life interesting" film trope, which is refreshing to see. The chemistry between Liv Tyler and Charlie Hunnam is quite good and believable.

Overall, the characters felt real and The Ledge gave me a lot to think about. I enjoyed the film greatly.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Tss5078

Nov 8, 2016

An all-star cast isn't everything, as proven by the independent drama, The Ledge. The film features, (big surprise) a man on the ledge of a building, threatening to jump, and when the police negotiator shows up, the man (Charlie Hunnam), through flashbacks, tells a twisted tale of love,An all-star cast isn't everything, as proven by the independent drama, The Ledge. The film features, (big surprise) a man on the ledge of a building, threatening to jump, and when the police negotiator shows up, the man (Charlie Hunnam), through flashbacks, tells a twisted tale of love, adultery, and murder that led him to his current predicament. One of the biggest problems I have with this films is Charlie Hunnam, he was so good as outlaw biker, Jax Teller, on seven seasons of Sons of Anarchy, that I don't really buy him as this sweet, emotional guy. Not to mention the fact that he had better chemistry with Terrance Howard, who played the police negotiator, than he did with Liv Tyler, the woman he was supposedly willing to risk everything for. Together, Hunnam and Tyler seem almost uncomfortable and it wasn't just while they were talking. All of their interactions are awkward, clumsy, and uncomfortable to watch, something I assure you was not done on purpose. Aside from that, the story here, isn't even that great, The Ledge is more talking then anything else, yes I realize it's a drama, but something has to happen at some point doesn't it? I mean the endless talk is broken up by a couple of clumsy sex scenes and then it's back to talking, I really found the whole thing to be very boring, and apparently so did other Netflix viewers, as it was streaming for about two weeks before they pulled it. As I said before, the Ledge has a great cast, but besides that it's just another long, tedious, film you can live without.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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