the film received mostly negative reviews from critics. on rotten tomatoes, the movie holds a 31% positive opinion (54% from the audience) based on 145 reviews. roger ebert of the "chicago sun-times" said "the movie cuts back and forth between two preposterous plot lines and uses the man on the ledge as a device to pump up the tension." according to ebert, too much depends on nick securing a leave from prison, escaping from two armed guards, reaching manhattan, checking into the correct hotel room on the correct floor and not falling off prematurely. anna smith felt that the film "embrace[d] its own lunacy readily enough", but criticised the "ridiculous ending". similarly, the new zealand herald considered the film "a missed opportunity" that doesn't live up to its potential", pointing at the "limited" location sam worthington had to work with, praising how he still appeared "suitably terrified".