The Ledge

As an atheist, I suggest everyone to watch this and tickle their beliefs.

It's not a perfect film and it has its own flaws but it's one of the examples that makes me think that some critics may accept money from religious authorities to pan films like this with shallow and stupid reasons and criticism, which is scary.

It's the first or one of the pro-atheist feature film ever to be released in America. American people need such films a lot, so do other nations.

Matthew Chapman, an atheist who is a distant relative of Charles Darwin did a good job esp. As a screenwriter but I understand that some people can't still face the facts and love to hug their own imaginary friends.

The acting aren't that good or in some scenes even weak. But we can get the idea and educate ourselves from it. There are a lot of high budget and extravagantly high polished films with little to offer but this film can broaden some narrowed minds and enlighten some of the people.

7.3/10.

I saw a preview of The Ledge two months ago and instantly thought it is the beginning of a whole new genre of film that gets away from the cliché world of most films. It explores nuances of life, ethics, love and religion that are not easily classified. While it is a thriller, it is also much more. If you are not thinking about this movie for days or weeks after, you probably weren't watching. I challenge you to put yourself into each of the characters and recognize how powerful world views can influence decisions and behavior. Of all the characters, I thought the policeman and his life dilemma was most compelling. It seems to tie the whole movie together. I think the final scene of the movie was a little weak and may have actually detracted from the overall effect. I would have done the ending a little different but it is a small quibble over a great viewing experience but that is why it gets a 9 instead of a full 10. The fact that I am writing this review two months after seeing the preview is testament to the impact it can have.

It's not hard to put together a monster film. You throw one insane guy together with a hero, and add a car chase. The Ledge is nothing like this, and that's why it's so impressive.

The main struggle is between a Christian with extreme beliefs, and an Atheist who just wants out. Uniquely, it's the only film I can think of that has an openly atheist hero and an A-list cast. And ironically, the few people who have complained about this show exactly what the film is trying to portray: that some people are so intolerant of atheism that even one movie among the thousands in history is too much for them.

To me, the star of this film is Patrick Wilson, who plays the fundamentalist. Instead of becoming a monster, his portrayal links completely normal passions like love and protection and revenge that we can all identify with, but then takes it to the natural conclusion, egged on by his convictions that anything he decides to do must be blessed.

Thus the central thesis of the film -- that belief can go too far -- is played out on a small stage. This is a drama of just 6 people, but the intricate explosions between them pull at the heartstrings far more effectively than a car chase in an action film would. We hear so much about the dangers of religion in big stories like 9-11, gay rights, and abortion rights. Here is a film about the dangerous of religion in the everyday, the dramas so commonplace that everyone who watches can find something in their own lives to compare it with.

Sure, I've never walked out onto The Ledge. But something about the masterful writing and acting in this film creates an authenticity that is undeniable.

Go ahead. Rant against atheism. Show us how intolerant you are. Violent words and deeds are the response of someone backed into a corner, desperate not to lose it all, just like "Joe" is in this film.

I just saw this movie tonight and really enjoyed it. The plot is gripping, full of pathos, and well executed. I thought the acting was excellent and the dialogue thought provoking. Charlie Hunnam and Liv Tyler delivered outstanding performances. I felt like I've met all these people in other guise in my life, and they were all very human.

Unlike most modern cinema, rather than skirting the big issues of philosophy and meaning this movie tackles the hard questions head on. It was very refreshing to see how these ideas interacted with the characters and their motivations. I really don't want to give it away. Go see it, make your own decision.

The film opens from the edge from a ten-story building ledge, as a cop who has just been told of his wife's infidelity attempts to save a man who has decided to jump off the building--that's a good start! The rest follows and fascinates as there are two parallel tales are simultaneously related.

One of the marks of this film's fascination is that it can be read in many different ways--essentially a thriller, it is also a story that questions the nature of human love, of our place in the universe, as well as the human relationship to whatever God might be worshiped. It features some outstanding ensemble acting by a quartet of four, each of whom defines a character with both strengths and flaws...rather perversely, one waits out the film to see a possible suicide, and as Hitchcock so often implicates members of the audience as voyeurs, one feels similarly (if willingly) manipulated here.