6.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
An ex-cop and now wanted fugitive stands on the ledge of a high-rise building while a hard-living New York Police Department negotiator tries to talk him down. The longer they are on the ledge, the more she realizes that he might have an ulterior objective.
Starring: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Anthony Mackie, Edward BurnsThriller | 100% |
Crime | 49% |
Heist | 45% |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: HEVC / H.265
Video resolution: 4K (2160p)
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: Dolby Atmos
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Digital copy
4K Ultra HD
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
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.
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 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.
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:
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.
Extended Cut
2013
Extended Edition
2011
2001
1995
2012
1988
2012
2010
2010
2013
2016
2007
2013
2010
Extreme Cut
2009
2012
2017
1990
2006
2012