A lightweight heist movie, Man on a Ledge almost works well enough to unashamedly recommend, but not quite. Its final act brings to an abrupt end all the loose threads of its intriguing characters and stories, resulting in a tapestry that, finally, bunches and rumples where it should have remained smooth and glossy. Asger Leth’s movie demonstrates how difficult it is to properly construct and execute a complex heist thriller, for while many of the elements are deftly handled, the film fails to sustain its momentum all the way through.

On the plus side are the characters and their relationships. Movies of this type do not lend themselves to character study, but the story provides plenty of background and opportunity for the actors to shine. Elizabeth Banks and Ed Burns work well together as detectives trying to talk Sam Worthington down from the ledge where he is perched, even though their conversations are more adversarial than productive, at least initially. Worthington (one of the hardest working actors in show business the past few years) is fine as the title character, conveying a desperation and discomfort of heights very convincingly. Ed Harris is properly cold and urbane as the villain of the piece, although he doesn’t have a great deal to do. In smaller roles, Anthony Mackie and Titus Welliver make strong impressions.

Not as successful is the story of how Worthington’s brother (Jamie Bell) and his girlfriend (Genesis Rodriguez, a real stunner) have the skills to break into Harris’ highly guarded vault to steal the diamond that is the cause of everybody’s trouble. It is certainly intentional to instill the feeling that Bell and Rodriguez are, despite a year of preparation, still unprepared to pull off the heist, but here I think the movie did its job perhaps too well, for I was never convinced that they could, even when they did. There is another figure who helps the brothers, appearing every now and then to offer aid and comfort, and the final revelation of who this is — although it is probably obvious to many — is ludicrous. Finally, the denouement should find virtually everyone in jail, yet there they are, enjoying themselves in a pub.

It is holes such as this, and the rushed, action-packed climax where the film turns very conventional, that derail its uniqueness and likability. The last ten minutes of the movie are a real letdown, which is why I cannot heartily recommend it. Also, more should have been done with the height angle, especially from down below looking upwards. Yet another issue is that I was significantly more interested in the byplay between the cops in the hotel room than in Worthington’s situation, playing out on the ledge outside. Nice try, but not quite good enough.  ✰ ✰ ½.  13 Feb. 2012.