If you do not like heights then I warn you this one will make you feel uncomfortable. The Ledge is about Kelly (Brittany Ashworth), who upon seeing the murder of her best friend is chased up a mountain by the men behind her best friend’s murder. And all of this is happening on the anniversary of her lover’s death. The Ledge brings new meaning to high-stakes action, by letting Kelly free climb a near-impossible mountain as she not only takes on her pursuers but the elements themselves.

Looking through director Howard J. Ford’s back catalog it truly seems that his entire career has been building to this one movie. With this mix of a fear-inducing scenario, an incredibly strong female lead, and some amazing action. The Ledge is a great modern film that crosses multiple genres and moves at a heart-pounding rate. Seriously this one had my stress levels running high, and that is no easy feat.

But not all the credit can go to Howard, Brittany Ashworth does an amazing job in the lead role of this film. She is both strong and vulnerable all at once, and she manages to convey all this while barely talking to anyone and working with limited scenery. Other performers would seriously struggle in this situation, but here she manages to shine. 

And what would our hero be without a standout villain? 

Ben Lamb plays the twisted Josh and in this Lamb brings us an intense, self-entitled, douche bag bully, who hams it up at the perfect moments to make you hate Josh but even though you do, you just cannot take your eyes off of him. His intense hatred for Kate boils over into deep sexism that to me can be interpreted as this look at the old Alpha male stereotype and how it is rather outdated and unneeded in our society. 

The rest of the cast are all great in their roles and perfectly add to the story, giving us these great shades of conflict, tragedy, and melodrama. And it is that last bit that I want to touch on, as a man in his mid 30’s (shudders) I have over the past few years begun to shed a few of my toxic friends from my past. These were guys that at one point meant a lot to me, but as I grew they didn’t, and seeing the interactions between this group of men in this story, it reminded me how disdain I have for the pack mentality and how toxic a group of grown men can be. 

Finally, I want to mention the cinematography. The film is primarily presented in a very intimate kind of way and that truly adds to the intensity of the situation. Though at other points we do get these amazing wide sweeping beautiful shots, that also further remind us of how alone Kate truly is. And bringing together these two styles helped elevate this film to the next level./

This one is like an onion, and that is what makes it great. At first glance, it is this intense action thriller that will get the blood pumping, but as you begin to think about it, a much darker picture begins to come to the forefront and that is the sign of a fantastic story.