Kelly (Brittany Ashworth) has gone on a climbing trip in Italy with her friend, Sophie (Anaïs Parello). They plan to climb a perilous rock face on the anniversary of Kelly’s boyfriend’s death when they last attempted the climb. Things take a turn for the worse when a group of men arrive and a boozy campfire night ends with Sophie’s death. However, Kelly has caught the act on camera and attempts to get away from them, only to find herself stuck on a treacherously small cliff ledge with the murderers on the higher ground, desperate to get hold of the incriminating footage.
Howard J. Ford (co-director of 2010’s The Dead) makes the most of the sumptuous location in this dizzying thriller. While we’re sure most of the dangerous scenes were accomplished with special effects, it’s impressively executed. There’s palpable tension as the gang of genuinely unlikeable lads terrorise the scared by resilient Kelly on the mountain’s edge. The lead ‘baddie’, Joshua (Ben Lamb), is particularly odious as he commits the most heinous crime and forces his mates to go along with the cover-up. We’ve never wanted someone to fall from a great height as much before. This is the perfect depiction of a bully, for which Lamb should be proud, we guess. Likewise, his friends are as spineless as jellyfish and the toxic masculinity is practically radioactive.
As the lead, Ashworth delivers a remarkable performance despite being saddled with some unrealistic dialogue. Despite being set in the great outdoors, there’s a claustrophobic atmosphere that overpowers any of the shortcomings of the script, resulting in an impressive, if flawed, nightmare.
The Ledge is released on Digital Platforms on March 14th and DVD on March 21st from Signature Entertainment.
