In new thriller, The Ledge, two friends, Sophie and Kelly head to the Dolomite Mountains in Italy, to enjoy a few days climbing and having fun. Shortly after they arrive and check into their cabin, they meet a group of guys who are also preparing for a climb up the mountains.
That evening, Sophie and Kelly share a drink with the guys, while sat around a campfire. But after Kelly leaves to return to her cabin, Josh, the leader of the group, turns violent and tries to rape Sophie.
Sophie manages to get away from Josh, but a chase ensues. After catching up with Sophie, Josh brutally murders her by smashing her skull in with a rock.
Hearing some commotion, Kelly leaves her cabin and stumbles across the violent aftermath. She then records the moment that Josh and the group throw Sophie’s body over a cliff, but lets out an audible gasp, drawing their attention in the process.
Fleeing the scene, Kelly grabs her climbing gear and heads up the mountain to escape. But with her pursuers close behind, it looks increasingly like Kelly will be the next victim if she can’t climb her way out of the situation.
Directed by Howard J. Ford, The Ledge stars Anaïs Parello, Brittany Ashworth, and Ben Lamb. The movie is a dark thriller, which is new to Netflix UK this week, and is a somewhat brutal, but brainless affair, best reserved for those who have nothing better to watch.
And I really mean ‘nothing better to watch’. Nothing at all.
If you’re looking for a dash of darkness with your thrillers, then you will find it in The Ledge; but if you want something with good performances, a great script, and even an ounce of originality, look elsewhere. This is a fairly dire film, which plays like a poor television movie, and drags despite its relatively short running time (less than 90-minutes).
The Ledge takes a simple premise, does nothing with it, and expects audiences not to lose interest after the first ten minutes. Unfortunately, there’s very little chance of anyone remaining fully engaged with this picture, as the acting in the film is so woeful, it is enough to make even the most patient person switch off.
And when I say ‘switch off’, I’m not just referring to the television set, I’m referring to the mind too. As soon as the actors begin speaking, don’t be surprised if your brain hurls itself out of your head and runs for the hills.
I’m not going to single out any particular actor here, I’ll simply say that no one amongst the cast comes out of this thing in a positive light. Everyone is very, very bad.
Although, to be fair, because the cast are asked to read out such dire dialogue, they can’t be entirely blamed for the performances they give. This whole movie is one big cliché, so as far as the cast are concerned, they are just going through the motions regardless.
If there is one saving grace in The Ledge (and believe me, I’ve searched hard to find it), it lies in the climbing scenes. Those who are interested in climbing, may get some (very) brief enjoyment out of seeing the characters traverse a cliff-face.
But if you are a climbing fan, and you are looking for a way to see your favourite activity replicated on screen, there are much better movies you could be watching, such as the 1993 action film, Cliffhanger. Jeez, even the Chris O’Donnell survival thriller, Vertical Limit (2000) is an improvement on this rubbish, so maybe seek out one of these films instead.
The best way to sum up The Ledge can be seen around the 49-minute mark, when the character of Josh relieves himself on a tent. This brief sequence, in which he wees on screen, perfectly captures what this movie is: A trickle of piss.
Should you watch it? No. No, you should not. You only have so many hours in your lifetime to live, so don’t waste any of them on this garbage.
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