Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language, drugs, violence against women in awful thriller.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Ledge
What's the Story?
In THE LEDGE, Sophie (Anaïs Parello) and Kelly (Brittany Ashworth) are in a cabin in Italy the evening before a climbing expedition to commemorate the climbing death of Kelly's fiance. Their plans for a relaxing night are derailed when four men on vacation from the United States arrive at the cabin next door. Soon, one of the men, Josh (Ben Lamb), invites Sophie and Kelly to party with his friends Zack, Taylor, and Reynolds. Sophie agrees, even as Kelly is hesitant to stay up too late the night before a big climb. That night, the two women and four men sit in front of a campfire, drinking and smoking weed, when Josh begins to engage in overly aggressive verbal and physical behavior toward Sophie. Sophie stands up for herself, then takes a brief walk into the woods to step away from the scene, only to be followed by Josh, who attempts to rape her. While fending him off, Josh punches her, causing her to fall down the cliff. Josh's friends watch in horror at first, but then help to kill her with a rock so that Josh isn't charged and sentenced for his crimes. Kelly has her video camera, approaches the scene, and begins filming the actions. She's soon discovered by the men and then chased through the woods. Soon, Kelly reaches the rock face of the mountain and begins climbing. Josh and his friends are determined to catch her and destroy the camera at any cost. Kelly must find a way not to fall off the mountain, fight back against her pursuers, and keep the camera in her possession.
Is It Any Good?
A potentially interesting premise is ruined by clichés, overacting, and terrible dialogue. The Ledge grows stale within the first 20 minutes, and any suspension of disbelief is pretty much exhausted within the first 15. Sometimes over-the-top villains are entertaining, but in this instance, Josh is so annoying and dumb that one can't help but wonder why these three friends would meet up with him halfway around the world from their homes, no matter what past history they shared. The acting is so hammy and the dialogue so unbelievably bad that the movie's ending is satisfying only because the audience no longer has to endure the redundant ways in which this guy is a villain.
While there could have been something compelling about a woman climbing a mountain to fend off a raping murderer and the dimwit friends that enable his abhorrent behavior, even this struggle for survival gets mangled in a side story involving her ex-boyfriend who was almost her fiancé if he hadn't died on that very same mountain one year before. This almost-fiancé appears in flashbacks with reverb-heavy voice-overs (think Yoda or Obi-Wan's voice-overs in the Star Wars franchise), advising Kelly on what to do to survive. It seems like a no-brainer to have the female best friend who was murdered by Josh and his cronies instead of the proverbial "male savior" in these flashbacks, but she seems to exist only as a catalyst to get the story to the second act. The result is a gross blend of excessive violence, bad dialogue, and a premise that barely makes it to the finish line, even with the questionable backstories of these characters.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in The Ledge. How was it stronger than the violence usually seen in thrillers? Did it come across as excessive, particularly in Josh's physical and verbal behavior throughout the movie? Why, or why not?
Were Josh's actions and words necessary to establish that he's the villain, or did it come across as obnoxious and redundant? Why?
What's the appeal of thrillers? Why do you think they are so popular?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 19, 2022
- Cast : Brittany Ashworth , Ben Lamb , Nathan Welsh
- Director : Howard J. Ford
- Studio : Saban Films
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 86 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Strong violence, crude sexual references, language and some drug use.
- Last updated : March 7, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate