The Ledge
IFC Films | Release Date: July 8, 2011 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
34
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
8
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
67
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerJul 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
60
MovielineStephanie ZacharekJul 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
50
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayJul 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
50
ObserverRex ReedJul 5, 2011
It eventually fails, not because of its philosophical ideas, but because it introduces so many of them at the same time that even a viewer with a score pad can't keep up. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasJul 8, 2011
Despite a capable cast and attractive Baton Rouge, La., locales photographed by Bobby Bukowski, The Ledge suffers from a seriously flawed script that's just too implausible to be taken seriously. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJul 8, 2011
Though Wilson tries hard, none of the actors - including Terrence Howard as the detective who unravels this story in flashback is able to overcome the script's considerable deficiencies. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterKirk HoneycuttJul 2, 2011
Charlie Hunnam and Terrence Howard put enough actors' oomph into these ledge mates to make them authentic characters even though the film fails to achieve anything like the same level of authenticity. Read full review
40
VarietyDennis HarveyJul 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
40
Boxoffice MagazineRay GreeneJul 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
30
The New York TimesStephen HoldenJul 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
20
Time OutSam AdamsJul 5, 2011
It's the dead-fish flop of the didactic dialogue that does them in once and for all. Read full review
20
Village VoiceAaron HillisJul 5, 2011
Even if The Ledge couldn't be written off as a hollow polemic, there's also the lifeless drama, laughable dialogue, chintzy sets, and poor lighting to grapple with. Read full review
12
New York PostKyle SmithJul 8, 2011
Coincidence and contrivance are the name of the game throughout. Read full review
12
Slant MagazineJesse CataldoJul 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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