The Ledge
starring Charlie Hunnam, Terence Howard, Liv Tyler, Christopher Gorham and Patrick Wilson
screenplay by Matthew Chapman
directed by Matthew Chapman
Rating: ♦◊◊◊◊
I rented this DVD because I thought it was Man on a Ledge(2011 thriller starring Sam Worthington, directed by Asger Leth). Boy was I wrong. That’s happened before - renting the wrong movie with a similar title. I hate when that happens.
In this story Gavin Nichols (Charlie Hunnam) a divorced hotel manager falls in love with Shana (Liv Tyler), the fundamentalist Christian wife of Joe (Patrick Wilson) who live across the hall in his building. Joe suspects hanky-panky, but when he confirms it he invents some heinous scheme to exact his jealous/righteous revenge. Because the Old Testament teaches death for adulterers he decides that either Shana or Gavin must die. Kidnapping his own wife he blackmails Gavin with his love for Shana. Either Gavin throws himself to his own death from a tall building ledge by noon hour, or else he will kill Shana instead. Terence Howard plays the police detective sent to talk down the supposed suicide, and the movie is Gavin’s retroactive explanation of the whole tale to the detective. In the end Gavin jumps only moments before the police unravel the situation, discover Joe’s whereabouts and rescue Shana. It’s a noble sacrifice by Gavin, but still a meaningless death.
Incidentally, Gavin is a fairly undisguised, outspoken atheist who, although not gay himself, nevertheless lives with a gay roommate. On their first meeting Joe mistakes his neighbors’ situation and launches into a bad relationship from the start. Joe’s character is so despicable it makes it easy to hate fundamentalist Christians on his account, although that would be a mistake.