Cliffhanger (1993)

Every once in a while I like to take in a Jean-Claude Van Damme or Steven Seagall flick just for the escapist value. Something like this serves the same purpose but without the martial arts mayhem. The thought that kept going through my mind as I watched the mountain climbing segments was how in the heck the film makers ever staged those scenes without putting the actors in mortal jeopardy. Stallone hanging by one arm directly over a thousand foot drop? - I really don't think so, but it sure looked that way from the vantage point of one's living room couch. This movie is a part adventure/part caper story, and the bad guys might have gotten away with their heist if they had thought through some of the possible unintended consequences. But we know that's never the case with pictures like this. The main thing I couldn't understand was how Gabe (Stallone) and Jessie (Janine Turner) managed to find cases number two and three after the first one wound up disintegrated. What did they have to go on? I guess by that point in the movie one shouldn't have to ask such a ridiculous question.

Renny Harlin's Cliffhanger is to this day one the best and most exhilarating action films of the 1990's. It's big, bold and full of protein for lovers oft the genre. From the lively villain to the unbelievable stunts to the set pieces, it's a tough package to beat. A stunning, vertigo inducing opener set high atop a snowy peak that ends in tragedy. A breathtaking airial heist carried out between two planes via cable wire. A whopper of a helicopter crash. Countless bone snapping, visceral hand to hand combat scenes. The list goes on. Sylvester Stallone puts his physique to great use as Gabe Walker, a rock climbing mountaineer guide who is accidentally responsible for the falling death of his best friend's girlfriend. His buddy Hal (Michael Rooker) blames him no end, and he leaves in personal disgrace. Elsewhere, ruthless backstabbing psychopath Eric Qualen, (John Lithgow) leads a team of dangerous mercenaries through aforementioned heist, plundering millions from a US treasury department plane and disappearing into the snowy desolation. Soon they come across Hal and a group of people touring the region, who are soon hostages. Word somehow gets out to Stallone and he's back in business, out for redemption and then chance to brutally dispatch this gang of snow pirates. The action, refreshingly absent of digital gimmicks, packs one hell of a punch. Every fight scene feels breathless, dangerous and desperate. Every blow is thunderously felt, courtesy of director Harlin's commitment to his work and the efforts of a stellar stunt team. Stallone isna beast and I forget that every time I haven't seen him in a while. He's almost as big as the mountains he scales here and each and every bad guy damn well finds this out. Rooker is as intense as he always is, love the guy. Lithgow is a freaking villain for the ages, in a role intended first for David Bowie, then Christopher Walken. I'm glad the ball ended up in his court, because he subsequently knocks it back out of the park with his cold blooded, deliciously evil performance. He makes Qualen so scary and merciless that even his own people get the jitters around him. There's also work from Rex Linn, Caroline Goodall, Craig Fairbrass, Max Perlich, Paul Winfield, Ralph Waite, Don S. Davis, Bruce McGill and Janine Turner. This is just one of the finest action movies to ever swing into theatres or onto DVD. Brutal, scenic, adventurous, exciting, violent, snowy, just plain kick ass. If you don't like this movie, you don't like ice cream.

A very disappointing film. Stallone's acting skills have never been the finest but he was clearly wasted on this pointless attempt at showing how rock climbing can be dangerous. Probably one of the worst films I have ever seen. Unusually Ralph Waite, who is 65 plays the part of the helicopter pilot. He was the father figure in the Waltons. I have no doubt about Ralph's acting skills but why on earth choose someone like him to be a helicopter pilot. The cheapness of how each and every one of the actors was killed or shot at beggars belief. I was very surprised this film ever reached the cinemas. 1993 was clearly not the best year for Stallone movies.

This is undoubtedly the best movie of Renny Harlin , one of the best masterpieces of action films of the nineties, is one of my favorite movies, this is a perfect example of a great adventure film , excellent performances from the entire cast , great cinematography by Alex Thomson, beautiful music by Trevor Jones, special edition of Frank J. Urioste , and wonderful script.The beginning of the film offers us an unforgettable tragic drama, then we displayed a thrilling aerial assault , and what follows is the struggle for survival , the struggle of good against evil, cruel villains, heroes realistic , shocking scenes of fights and scenes of well-performed deaths; the whole movie is original and very creative , this film production is a gift for lovers of action cinema , the film offers very good sound and special effects.The actors bring their emotions interesting characters, for example, Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner, Rex Linn, Caroline Goodall ... this film conveys energy , the entire set is admirable, the result is high entertainment power.