Cliffhanger

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner, Leon Paul Winfield, Ralph White, Rex Linn
Directed by: Renny Harlin
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller, Adventure
1993

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A rescue climber (Sylvester Stallone) who gave up the job after a terrible accident reluctantly goes out to rescue his friends, whom have been captured by a thief (John Lithgow) and his band of murderous subordinates.

Review:

Tim: This is a very intense and enjoyable action film. The movie makes its mark by transporting the action to the beautiful landscape of the Rocky Mountains. This vastly ups the ante, because the beautiful terrain also happens to be deadly. The scenes with Sylvester Stallone hanging onto the side of a vertical rock wall with no ropes, and oblivion below him, inspire feelings of dread as well as awe.

This is all made even more nerve-racking because of Stallone and the rest of the good guys facing a band of merciless terrorists and other scum of society. This doubles up the danger- and our viewing pleasure.

Stallone is quite good as Gabe Walker. This performance reminds me of his Rocky and Rambo glory days. His internal struggle is set into motion by the now-famous opening cliffhanger scene.

The rest of the cast is decent, and only John Lithgow deserves special mention. He is truly excellent as the bad guy in a very interesting performance- he is not so physically menacing, but he is cold and ruthless, and this is where he inspires the real fear. He could have played this over-the-top, but his performance is the perfect balance, and the whole film is greatly improved because of it.

Cliffhanger is an outstanding action movie that moves at a quick pace and keeps you entertained, nervous, and exhilarated as you watch the action unfold against a majestic and deadly background. Give a rest to all those boring action films and trade in the familiar landscape for something truly memorable.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Rocky, First Blood, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls