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All the elements for a great thriller are present in director Asger Leth’s “Man on a Ledge,” but, in the end, the film falls short.

The movie’s plot follows Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington), a former officer of the law and an escaped convict determined to prove his innocence after being wrongly convicted of a $40 million diamond theft. He escapes and intends to clear his name – or die trying.

Cassidy walks out onto the ledge of the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan to serve as a distraction while his brother, Joey (Jamie Bell), and Joey’s girlfriend, Angie (Genesis Rodriguez), steal the diamond to provide exonerating evidence. Detective Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) joins him, attempting to talk him down and, eventually, forming a bond of trust with Cassidy.

The premise of the movie is initially compelling and may even keep the members of the audience on the edge of their seats, but the movie loses this momentum as quickly as it generates it.

The sheer amount of time the audience spends on the ledge causes the film to drag and lose the thrill it seeks to deliver. Cassidy’s confusing backstory, established in a brief flashback, is left obscure and the viewers attempt to connect the dots as they get further and further separated as the movie continues.

In earnest, it appears Leth and writer Pablo F. Fenjves simply reach for too much, wishing to tell a story of desperation, deception and grand illusion, but are either limited by the movie medium or the time they have to tell it.

Worthington delivers a fairly wooden performance, making it difficult to sympathize with a character who, supposedly, wants desperately to demonstrate his innocence. Aside from the leading man, performances by Banks and Ed Harris, who plays the film’s antagonist David Englander, also fall flat.

A subplot intended for comedic relief á la “Ocean’s 12” similarly misses the mark.

The most vivacious deliveries come from Bell and Rodriguez, but even these are limited to some small amount of sexual banter and minor spycraft. Even these easy-to-love characters create a disconnect and leave the audience wondering how they acquired the skills to pull off a heist that would be the envy of Danny Ocean.

Certain camera angles become overused as the viewers become increasingly familiar with the ledge of the Roosevelt Hotel. The already iconic New York skyline quickly becomes bland as it becomes apparent there are only so many ways to show a man on the edge of a building.

However, cinematographer Paul Cameron explores a delicate balance with the cinematography, creating an almost chiaroscuro effect that helps create and salvage some of the suspense lost through the repetitiveness of the film.

Composer Henry Jackman (“The Dark Knight,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”) sets the tone for the movie with a dark and ominous orchestral score, complete with the compulsory buildup and subsequent crescendo, a staple of thrillers such as “Man on a Ledge.”

The film finds its niche in these small elements, but the underdeveloped plot and an inability to effectively capture the audience’s attention leaves viewers without an effective story arc.

In the end, Leth creates a fantastic setup for what could have been a gripping film, but fails to execute his lofty ambitions.