Avalanche (1994)

This is a made-for-TV thriller starring Knight Rider star David Hasselhoff as madman Duncan Snyder, who crashes into the Rockies, produces an avalanche and gets the Kemp Family trapped inside their house with him.It is notable seeing the Knight Rider hero playing a nefarious villain, terrorizing a quiet family and forcing them to help him find jewels in the mountains. It is pretty exciting to see how the Kemp Family attempt to get themselves out of Snyder's trap.The acting was so-so, pretty campy at times. But, the plot is fast-paced and full of suspense - from the avalanche to the fight for survival. All in all, not a bad TV thriller.Grade B-

*may contain spoilers* In snow mountains, a helicopter pilot crash causes accident avalanche. Trapped family in log cabin rescue pilot and together inside, pilot and family try to survive. Baywatch and Knightrider star David Hasselhoff stars against type as unhinged thief pilot duncan. A father and his two children are trapped together with mystery trapped survivor stranger duncan. At start duncan seems sane and helping family but becomes increasing suspicious acting as family think of how to get out of avalanche. The father becomes frustrated with duncans behaviour but worse things then as duncan becomes violent especially to father and family struggle to shake mad thief off. Boy and girl try to protect father from duncans physical abuse. They are under pressure as father unable to help against duncan. The film is an enjoyable TV film and father role and duncan role are good cast. The film has suspense.

How many times did he jeopardise his family by aggravating Duncan? If he had just gone along with him from the start they'd all have dug their way out relatively easily. Instead their persistent Hassling of the Hoff only served to rile him more. He might have been a nutcase but he would have had no reason to harm the family if they had gotten out and would probably have felt fondness for them if they'd both saved his life and helped him regain his fortune. Instead the father begins to get suspicious before suspicion was justified. And why would the daughter say she didn't trust him after he'd submitted his gun to Brian? if she were to be suspicious of everyone who had a gun, she'd be suspicious of a pretty high percentage of Americans.And the scene at the very end with the bloody jeep was the most irresponsible thing I've seen a supposedly heroic parent do in a movie. The chances of them getting out of there after he'd collapsed the whole bleeding cabin on top of their heads were negligible. It was a complete fluke that the son found them as he did.

Dear Lord, this was terrible. And I'm not blaspheming. The constant messianic imagery invoked by Hasselhoff's character is just unbearable. He is raised from the dead, crucified, pierced through the side, and on and on. Meanwhile, there is blatant sexual tension between Michael Gross and the daughter, Dee. "I'm comin' baby," says Gross. Later, she is heard to say, "You just can't do it anymore, Dad. You just can't do it anymore." Give me a break. There is no sense of space in the entire opening sequence, and the plot goes nowhere.Don't read on if you don't want a spoiler. I need it for rhetorical effect only. It is my hope that you will not see the film, though the only reason you would probably be reading this is if you have. Either way, you probably won't mind the following spoiler.Tragically, they all get out of the avalanche at the end, although I think they kill Hasselhoff but he'll probably just be raised from the dead again. Don't see this horrible picture.