Man on a Ledge (PG-13, 2012)

Former NYPD cop Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) manages to break out of prison, where he's doing 25 years for a jewel theft he claims he didn't commit. Intent on proving his innocence, Nick comes up with an elaborate scheme that requires him to spend most of the movie out on the ledge of a tall building, threatening to jump to his death, while an accomplice tries to pull off an elaborate heist. His plan just might work ... if he can convince police negotiator Lydia (Elizabeth Banks) -- who's tasked with trying to talk him down -- to believe his story.

Don't be surprised if you walk out of this movie feeling fairly well entertained. With carefully paced scenes building up to a bracing (if not surprising) climax and decent performances, MAN ON A LEDGE is built to be a crowd pleaser. And it is, assuming said crowd is generous enough to ignore a few nagging complaints, from the sometimes clunky, often expository dialogue to the fairly cliched plot elements (corrupt insiders, would-be allies with murky pasts, etc.).

Add that to a few jarring tonal shifts (pseudo-flirty banter in the middle of a heist just doesn't fit) and some quirky casting, which wastes Ed Burns in a useless role (no offense to Banks, but Burns could've stepped into her place without hurting anything) and minimizes both Kyra Sedgwick and Ed Harris. Still, all of that said and taken with a pinch of salt (and a pardon for the over-obvious title), Man on a Ledge is a diverting-enough thriller.