Asger Leth’s feature debut though, by its cast (Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris),its sheer enthusiasm and its entertainment value, manages to subvert its genre-origins and make it to the big screen. And, daft as it is, it is damn fine fun too.
Worthington is Nick Cassidy, a former copper who has found himself behind bars on account of his having robbed a diamond from Ed Harris’ wealthy Manhattan businessman. To prove his innocence he escapes, somewhat implausibly, from prison, hightails it back to said skyscraper island and clambers on the roof of a cloud-hugging building, perilously teetering over the edge.
The cops are called, him requesting Banks’ negotiator especially, while the press park up shop down below, and he becomes the centre of a media circus – all acting as a sublime act of misdirection for his brother (Bell) to pull of the sort of heist that would have Danny Ocean and his gang of crooks rubbing their foreheads in puzzlement.
As we have said before, it is daft, daft, daft. But with great silliness comes good times. While the story hints at the impact of the financial crisis – hard times have hit everyone in this story it would seem – it is less a reflection on how the credit crunch has squished us all, and more an escapist caper flick with decent enough characters, some sizzling dialogue, story mysteries to solve, and top-trumping turns from the cast.
Banks is dependable as an alkie-soaked negotiator trying to get over the last job which left her man pavement-pizza’d down below. Worthington is good value as the titular man, and a solid action lead, but Bell sideswipes the whole movie out from under them as the wisecracking brother who, with the help of his partner-in-crime girlfriend, set about putting the record straight.
As the logic-defying climax looms into view (there are inexplicable narrative unveilings and death-defying ‘leaps’ of courage that make the vertigo-inducing location a bit of a farce) it becomes increasingly harder to ignore just how silly this film has become. Not a classic by any means, but a decent enough 90mins of movie-mayhem.
Film review by Alasdair Morton
Good for: Those who don’t demand their movies to overly engage the brain.
Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell | 12A | 102 mins
