Review by Gary Tooze

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• Trailer (2:06 in 1080P)

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Description: Gavin (Charlie Hunnam, Cold Mountain) is on the ledge. Hollis (Terrence Howard, Crash), who just learned that he is not the biological father of his children, is tasked with talking Gavin down. Their conversation eventually reveals Gavin s deep-rooted conflict with his fundamentalist Christian neighbor Joe (Patrick Wilson, Watchmen), whose theological opposition to Gavin was intensified by Gavin s gay roommate and later by Joe s wife's infidelity. The negotiations take a drastic turn when Hollis learns that Gavin has a deadline, and his life is not the only one hanging in the balance. Writer/director Matthew Chapman (Runaway Jury) returns after a long hiatus to helm this unpredictable thriller that asks challenging questions about faith and reason; the nature of belief; and the value of human life.

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Atop a high-rise building, Gavin, a young hotel manager, is about to end his life. Hollis, a detective whose own world... has just been turned upside down, is dispatched to the scene. As Hollis tries to persuade Gavin not to jump, each man begins to open up about his past, and we discover that neither of them is convinced that his life is worth living.

 

 

The Film:

Excerpt from Stephen Holden at the NY Times located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

The Ledge is one of those HD-to-35mm shoots put to Blu-ray disc and giving an impressive appearance. It has some of the plastic-look of digital but also a strong sense of depth and detail - especially notable in close-ups. The transfer is modest - single-layered but supported by a reasonable bitrate. Colors never stand-out but everything seems to be visually true. This Blu-ray has a consistent feel and by modern standards is fairly tame visually as the 1.78:1 ratio film is almost a chamber piece with a handful of simple sets and no real dynamic action sequences. This Blu-ray probably looks exactly like the film The Ledge and I didn't notice any contrast flaring or anything that deterred from the video portion of the presentation.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We get a competent DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 2526 kbps. The film doesn't export any aggressive range or depth - it is really not part of the experience. There are some separations at the subtle end. The score by Nathan Barr is relatively supportive sounding clean with some crisp edges. There are optional English and Spanish subtitles. My Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.

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BOTTOM LINE:
Critical response was less than stellar but I found a lot to like about The Ledge. The performances are excellent across the board - I was impressed by Hunnam, I always like Wilson (Little Children, Lakeview Terrace, Hard Candy) a lot and Tyler, Terrence Howard (also a producer of the film) was limited by his role but is always memorable with his glassy, expressive eyes. I didn't find I had to 'give over' to the story as much as the major complaint about the film for some. I thought it was well written but it did smack of seeming like a 'quick' project - although everything technically about the filmmaking was cohesive enough not to detract from the viewing experience. The Ledge has a lot to offer. It reminded me of Beyond Suspicion - perhaps as it focused on emotion rather than treating the viewer as unobservant - not requiring the repetition of plot specifics over and over. The Blu-ray is of middling quality but supplied me with an enjoyable night in the home theater! 

Gary Tooze

September 20th, 2011