Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Man on a Ledge 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Ho hum — another week, another patently odd 4K UHD release from the good folks at Lionsgate. For those who regularly read our Lionsgate 4K reviews, you’ll know I’ve been scratching my head for some time now over the seemingly random array of titles the label is bringing out in this still “newish” format, and to that seemingly ever growing list we can now add Man on a Ledge, an outing that wasn’t exactly met with critical rapture at the time of its original release, and which according to some online tally sheets barely made its production budget back at the box office (which of course means that according to Hollywood accounting methods, it didn’t make a profit). Man on a Ledge is a film with a decent setup and some admittedly amazing set pieces, but it’s so outlandish and depends on so many seeming coincidences that it strains credulity to the breaking point. Be that as it may, here we have Man on a Ledge in 4K UHD (and with a Dolby Atmos track to boot), for better or worse.

Man on a Ledge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080p Blu-ray.

Man on a Ledge is presented on 4K UHD courtesy of Lionsgate Films with a 2160p transfer in 2.40:1. Perhaps due at least in part to the fact that I have had some issues with grain resolution on other shot on film releases Lionsgate has brought out on 4K UHD, I was rather pleasantly surprised with the overall look of this new 4K version (the IMDb lists the DI as being finished at 2K, for those who care about such things). Yes, there are still some brief passing moments where an admittedly generally heavy grain field can look a little swarm like, as in an early scene in a jailyard, or a few minutes later in a hotel lobby, but these tend to be relatively lower light situations, which may help to account at least in part for the changes. On the whole, though, grain, while (again) rather heavy throughout the entire presentation, is generally tight looking and resolves naturally, adding a nicely gritty texture to the largely urban set film. There are clear upticks in detail levels at the higher resolution this version offers, and especially nice upgrades in palette saturation and highlights courtesy of Dolby Vision. The whole opening sequence has a really interesting new emphasis on beiges, yellows and browns, which contrast nicely with Worthington's bright blue shirt. Later bright flashes of color include some extremely vivid red worn by Kyra Sedgwick. The overall grading of some of the cooler blue sequences have nice luster here, and to my eyes fine detail is at least somewhat improved in this version in the more heavily graded moments. Shadow detail also sees at least marginal upticks in a number of dark scenes, notably in the jail cell where HDR also adds a cool green hue that isn't quite as noticeable in the 1080p version. The shimmer I mentioned in our 1080p review is commendably absent here.

Man on a Ledge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Man on a Ledge features an enjoyable if at times fairly subtle Dolby Atmos track. As I mentioned in our Man on a Ledge Blu-ray review, that release's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix offered a sometimes surprisingly "tame" accounting of midtown Manhattan sonics, and while that kind of tamped down ambience continues here, there's clear engagement of the Atmos channels for effects like traffic noises. The same fine "distancing" effects I noted on the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track are just as evident in this version, with arguably greater vertical separation helping to create a lifelike "bed" of urban noise populating the surround channels. Some of the more sonically bombastic sequences, as the prison fight, also offer notable if passing overhead activity. The same energetic LFE which propels elements like gunshots and the pulsing score sound great in this new version. Dialogue is always presented cleanly and clearly.

Man on a Ledge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Lionsgate has kindly ported over both of the supplements from the original 1080p Blu-ray to this 4K UHD disc. The following is my rundown from the original review of the 1080p release:

• The Ledge (HD; 15:17) is a really good little featurette (some might argue better than the film itself) which shows how the ledge aspect was filmed. There was an incredible amount of engineering expertise put into the film and it's fascinating to see the hotel room on a track that slides back and forth, as well as the huge crane (some 80 feet or so) that floats above the street and delivers so many of the film's most viscerally exciting shots.


• Trailer with Commentary by Elizabeth Banks (HD; 2:32). Okay, here's a first: a trailer with a commentary. What's up with that? And a completely stupid commentary, at that! Do we really need Banks telling us how "manly" Worthington is and then saying stuff like "Here he is opening his legs." For crying out loud, just give us the trailer for crying out loud. This goes down as the most ridiculous "supplement" in recent memory.

Man on a Ledge 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I've been joking for some time now that Lionsgate is either just out and out randomly choosing titles to release on 4K UHD, or in a perhaps smarter if arguably slightly sinister fashion is attempting to find new marketing methods of deleting its "remainder stock" of 1080p Blu-rays. While the 1080p Blu-ray of Man on a Ledge included with this release isn't of the same really early vintage as the one I recently described in our Lord of War 4K Blu-ray review and is therefore lacking the all important "menu tutorial", it's still an old enough release that it sports the opening warning that "Blu-ray is a new technology, so don't expect this to work on every machine" (or some such verbiage). Some may feel that a "don't expect this to work" warning should come with regard to the film itself, since Man on a Ledge relies on such a preposterous set of events that an increasing sense of unreality creeps in which may deprive the film of some of its aimed for visceral tension. That said, for those who are fans of Man on a Ledge , this 4K UHD version sports nicely upgraded video and audio, and retains the same two supplements that were offered on the original 1080p Blu-ray release.