Cliffhanger (1993)

Flaws aplenty...but the action is so solid that it makes this film well worth a look!

It's been a dozen or more years since I last saw CLIFFHANGER, but on a whim the other night, I took a new look at it. Boy, times have sure changed!

This exciting action-adventure was made before backgrounds could be computer generated. I remember that when it came out, it seemed fresh, gritty and realistic. Now it is painfully easy to see how many of the scenes are played against fake backgrounds made of Styrofoam, or worse yet, against blue screens. When characters are flying in helicopters, we see that the landscapes outside the open doors are really just movies of mountains going by. And yes, that is more distracting than I care to admit...I've become spoiled by the far more seamless effects that are possible today. Chances are, you will be too.

But this does not make CLIFFHANGER a bad movie. It's such a clear, simple story that it still works tremendously well. In a nutshell...some bad-guys (led by John Lithgow...more on him later) cause a plan full of money to crash into a mountain range. They go to recover the money and essentially force one "search and rescue" kind of guy (Michael Rooker) to track their money for them. They are followed by Rooker's colleague (played by Sylvester Stallone), who knows that once these guys have their money, they will kill Rooker. Stallone works to thwart their plans by killing the bad guys off one by one.

It's a simple enough story, but what elevates it is the enormously successful opening sequence of the film. We see Rooker and his girlfriend have climbed a mountain and are now kind of stuck on their high precipice. While Rooker is an experienced climber, his girlfriend is not out of her league. So these two need a little rescuing of their own. A helicopter with Stallone, HIS girlfriend (Janine Turner) and their boss (Ralph Waite) lands on a mountain-top across from them, and a robe is passed between the two spots. Rooker easily slides across the space, not fearful of the mile-long plunge below him. But his girlfriend is understandably fearful, and Stallone persuades her to try the crossing. She gets halfway across and then has trouble with her gear. She is moments from death...so Stallone comes after her, and in a heartpounding, heartbreaking few moments, he is unable to save her...and she falls to her death.

In five minutes, we have established the main "good" guys, gotten us all well and truly to the edge of our seats, and created a dynamic between the two men that will haunt much of the rest of the film. Stallone blames himself (and Rooker blames Stallone) for the death...even when we know that this woman had no business being up where she was, except that Rooker wanted to show off.

The film features many outstanding rock and mountain climbing sequences...and lots of snow. No one ever seems to suffer from the cold...but other than that, it's a blunt, brutal, fast-paced film. Each encounter between the good guys and bad guys is a little, exciting set-piece of its own. The bad guys are a very typical cast-of-characters...frankly, they are taken almost directly from DIE HARD...a film which obviously greatly inspired CLIFFHANGER. Stallone is like Bruce Willis' John McClane...capable of absorbing so much damage and still bouncing back. However, Stallone is actually amazingly convincing in the role, both physically and as an actor. He looks like a guy who could actually pull of the things he does...yet he plays it as a man unaccustomed to brutality. He does what he does to save himself and his estranged friend. As the movie progresses, he clearly comes to relish his role as "avenger"...particularly after Lithgow and his crew pull a particularly sneaky stunt on Ralph Waite.

The DIE HARD comparisons continue with Lithgow's performance. He is clearly modeled on Alan Rickman's Hans Gruber from that film...and unfortunately, he comes across as nearly laughable. His performance is so over-the-top and his accent so hard to pinpoint that Lithgow falls short of being a criminal mastermind, but mostly comes off as a petulant little boy. A psychopathic little boy, to be sure, but he doesn't quite generate the chills he is clearly meant to. I often like Lithgow...but sometimes his oddness and acting-style do NOT serve the movie. Such is the case here.

Rooker is perfectly fine in his role, and he gets a couple of good fight scenes in himself. As with Stallone, he's also believable as a mountain climber. He's also a noble guy, and we really empathize with him throughout. Janine Turner, popular at the time for "Northern Exposure", looks convincing too with her short hair...but is really given little to do. Carolyn Goodall, as Lithgow's girlfriend, plays the villainous role more convincingly than Lithgow. Ralph Waite is always a pleasure to see...he radiates warmth and kindness.

But director Renny Harlin stages the action sequences so well, and Stallone gives one of his three or four best performances...and that's what makes the film hold up today. The effects are "old school," but the solid filmmaking overcomes this. (A few years ago, VERTICAL LIMIT, a similar movie with far superior effects came out. It sure looked great...but it totally missed the boat on creating genuine excitement.) I think today's audience might have a hard time accepting the cheese-factor of CLIFFHANGER...although if anyone can get through the opening scene without breaking a sweat, I'd be surprised. So, despite its flaws, I'm very glad I went back and took another look at this minor action classic.
September 18, 2008

Why? Ehh...

I really wanted to like this movie. I rock climb, and I love Stallone movies, but I gotta know if anyone else thought the overuse of the F-word got obnoxious. For the first thirty minutes or so I was like, "OK whatever, the word does sound pretty hard core I guess." An hour later when they were still throwing it around like tomatoes at the La Tomatina festival, I wanted to turn it off and didn't for the sake of seeing how it ended. The action is GREAT! My only complaint is with the F-bombs. Oh, and the pitiful acting done by the "Third Rock from the Sun" guy. I liked him too. Man. That was really poor casting. February 23, 2008

Cliffhanger review

I read the reviews for this movie here before I bought it for cheap. Based on the reviews, I was not expecting it to be as good as it was. I am a Stallone fan, so that will influences my review. I watched the first scene or two and turned it off. I thought the movie was going in a direciton that would be boring, so I waited until I was bored to watch the rest of it. I was pleasantly surprised. It was different than I expected, with twists and surprises. The other characters -- good ones and bad ones -- played their roles well. It brought me through a whole range of emotions. The background shots are beautiful; I wish my t.v. screen was larger. This would have been fantastic on the big screen of a movie theater. February 18, 2008

Cliffhanger

Outstanding action and tension. One of the reasons I bought the movie is because of my fear of heights, and the opening scene in the movie, which makes me squeemish, however you spell it. November 22, 2007

Pretty good

I am a sucker for Stallone movies and this one met my expectations. For one thing, the movie took place outside and we all got to see mountain climbing prowess of all the actors. The other important factor in this movie for me was that, there was a huge amount of money involved (of course that was stolen from the government) by a evil, twisted, John Lithgow-wow, can he act evil--even shoots his girlfriend in the head!!!
Anyway, movie is a climb to the top of a huge mountain to save climbing crew and money. A bit of cat and mouse chasing on the peak adds to the fun of the movie--(B) July 13, 2007

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