Points scored for living up to the title. There is a literal man on a ledge for pretty much the entire movie. Unfortunately that man is Sam Worthington with his helmet hair and lack of emotion. He stars as an ex-cop accused of a crime he says he didn't commit, who escapes prison in order to pull off a daring heist against a cutthroat Donald Trump-type. Those hoping for a Phone Booth style thriller will be disappointed as the film is nothing like that, but there are some clever moments as the crime actually taking place. Jamie Bell, Genesis Rodriguez, and Anthony Mackie are good enough to make up for some of the story's missteps.
William Shakespeare's story of tragedy and betrayal comes crashing into the present in Ralph Fiennes' impressive directorial debut. The incredible stage and film star plays a Roman war hero banished for political reasons, who teams up with his nemesis(Gerard Butler) to exact bloody revenge against his homeland. Shakespeare adaptations are a tough nut to crack, especially when maintaining the classic prose, but Fiennes tackles the problem head on and succeeds through smart direction and sheer force of will.
Tilda Swinton gives another tour-de-force performance in Lynne Ramsay's uncomfortable horror. And make no mistake, We Need to Talk About Kevin is indeed a horror in almost every sense of the word, detailing the broken relationship between a mother and her aggressive, violent son. Frightening to the core, the nature vs. nurture question is explored with excrutiating detail, and the mother's role in her son's malevolence becomes hauntingly clear. Ramsay goes a little overboard in some aspects of the story, but there's no denying the power Swinton brings in front of the camera in one of her most layered roles yet.
Other Notable Releases
True Blood: The Complete Fourth Season
Goon, starring Seann William Scott and Liev Schreiber
Memorial Day, starring Jonathan Bennett and James Cromwell
Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker
Gone, starring Amanda Seyfried and Wes Bentley
Summer with Monika(The Criterion Collection), directed by Ingmar Bergman
Summer Interlude(The Criterion Collection), directed by Ingmar Bergman
Miles From Home, starring Meagan Good
