The Ledge, 2011

The Ledge, 2011
Director: Matthew Chapman
Cast: Liv Tyler, Charlie Hunnam, Terrence Howard, Patrick Wilson



Stage: home theatre, a lazy after holiday afternoon



The Ledge in short: A thriller in which a battle of philosophies between a fundamentalist Christian and an atheist escalates into a lethal battle of wills. Ultimately, as a test of faith, or lack of it, the believer forces the non-believer onto the ledge of a tall building. He then has one hour to make a choice between his own life and someone else's. Without faith in an afterlife, will he be capable of such a sacrifice?


Preps: Don't have a clue whatsoever. So I take the choice of someone, whose opinion means a great deal to me.


Reality: Well, the thing about thrillers is that they are supposed to make a span in your heart and frighten you at least a bit. This piece for starters, definitely isn't a thriller. However, the genre you are looking for, people, is drama. Maybe a family drama, or a philosophical drama. The philosophy, dealing with in the piece, revolves around family virtues, honesty, things you believe in. Either the family. Jesus, materia that evolves in materia after passing.. this piece is going to make you scream for the answers, yet you won't be able to find them. It's up to us, what we want to believe in. What are the virtues we want (or are willing to ) die for. How much do we cherish the honesty, in comparison to deeds that derive from something someone wanted to give to us, even though they aren't as honest as they might be?
Do you die for the person you love or is this egoistic towards that person? What feelings do we keep for the person that loved us so much that he(she) died for us? Or on the other hand, how far are we willing to go to follow a fairy tale, something we discovered or developed for all the wrong reasons and are the person we would like to be instead of being the person we are?

With more than those few incidents, the movie deals with the higher truth, something most of us don't ever think about and don't deal with. The act is supreme, despite the fact that Tyler isn't half a woman she could be. I hate her in the movie, for being so pale and unrecognizeable. Was she like this overall? Never saw that. Maybe because of the roles she played in. But I despise her in the movie. And I deeply admire the role of her husband and the lover. Energetic, different. The way they are supposed to be.

The movie has several cut offs. And several highs. Above the average. But if it did the extra mile with the actress, it would be superb.


My personal rate: 6,5 (a good piece showing more than promised. But definitely not a thriller, more a drama and one of the better ones in terms of things that can go through your mind afterwards. Could live without Liv Tyler, though).


The Ledge on IMDB