Page 22 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, III & IV • February 8, 2012 Would-be jumper hatches plan in ‘Man on a Ledge’ by Dennis Seuling “Man on a Ledge” is a movie in which a man contemplates jumping to his death. Who is he? Why is jumping from a ledge his method of suicide? Why is he so insistent on dealing with a particular police negotiator? Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) is an escaped, convicted diamond thief with an elaborate plan to clear his name. After checking into an upper-floor room at Manhattan’s Roosevelt Hotel, he orders a hefty meal, then exits the window and positions himself on a ledge. People below notice him and the police soon arrive. When a cop attempts to talk him in, Nick asks to speak with a different negotiator, Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks). Mercer has been ostracized by her peers recently because she lost a previous jumper. Her self-assurance has been tarnished, and she is perplexed as to why this man has requested her. The cops dust for fingerprints to identify the would-be jumper, but the room is clean, so Nick’s identity remains unknown to them for quite some time. Banks never convinces the viewer that she has risen to the rank of detective and has been entrusted to such sensitive work as negotiator. She has fashion model looks, and doesn’t have the command the role requires. A better casting choice would have been someone like Frances McDormand, Debra Monk, or Stockard Channing -- older women who could convey a harder edge than Banks. Much of the plot involves a scheme Nick has engineered, and viewers gradually see it unfold. It is convoluted, depends on split-second timing, and is the kind of plan that could work only in a screenwriter’s imagination. Worthington (“Avatar”) is adequate as the enigmatic man on the ledge, though he fails to bring any distinction to the role. His Nick is determined to call the shots, and it soon becomes obvious that his threat to jump is masking a far more clandestine plan. The supporting cast is impressive. Jamie Bell plays Nick’s brother, Joey; Anthony Mackie is Nick’s former co-worker; stonefaced Titus Welliver plays the cop in charge of the operation to get Nick off the ledge; and Edward Burns plays Detective Dougherty, the negotiator Lydia replaces. Police negotiator Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) attempts to talk Nick Cassidy (Sam “Man on a Ledge” works rea- Worthington) out of jumping to his death in ‘Man on a Ledge.’ sonably well as a thriller. A large part of the movie involves an intricate caper that occurs before and the screenwriter has cobbled together scenes as Nick teeters 25 floors above the street. The mystery from previous movies. For a theatrical film, it has a decidunfolds as the police, Nick’s family, a wealthy business- edly TV-movie feel, although the crowd scenes and New man (Ed Harris), dirty cops, and Nick converge in the York filming are impressive. Asger Leth is a competent director, not an inspired one. He has a good sense of pace film’s denouement. Rated PG-13, “Man on a Ledge” is not a bad movie, and the movie never bogs down, but it’s not worthy enough just a so-so one. There is a sense that one has seen the film to see in a theater. Save this one for the DVD release. Ramapo College of New Jersey is presenting its Spring Italian Language Film Series. Screenings are set to begin this week. Featured films represent classics by internationally known Italian directors and more recent productions. Admission is free and open to the public. All of the films will be shown at 6:30 p.m. in Room ASB-136 in the Anisfield School of Business. A discussion will follow each screening. The schedule includes: Feb 8, “Divorzio All’Italiana” (“Divorce, Italian Style,” 1961), directed by Pietro Germi; Feb. 22, “Il Gattapardo” (“The Leopard,” 1963), directed by Luchino Visconti; March 7, “Il Conformista” (“The Ramapo College hosts Italian Film Series Conformist,” 1970), directed by Bernardo Bertolucci; March 28, “Una Giornata Particolare” (“A Special Day,” 1977), directed by Ettore Scola; April 11, “Mio Fratello e Figlio Unico” (“My Brother is an Only Child,” 2007), directed by Daniele Luchett; and April 25, “Pranzo Do Ferragosto” (“Mid-August Lunch,” 2008), directed by Gianni De Gregorio. The films are shown in conjunction with the Italian cinema course taught by Professor Giuseppe Sorrentino. For more information about the series, contact Professor Rosetta D’Angelo at rdangelo@ramapo.edu or call (201)684-7408. Ramapo College is located at 505 Ramapo Valley Road in Mahwah.