ivymunni The film has an eclectic cast of character actors, TV performers and Hollywood A-listers. Whilst it is often considered a second-tier action movie (and in truth it can't quite compete with the likes of Die Hard and RoboCop et al) it is still a film jam packed with memorable moments be they of the action variety or cringeworthy one-liners. The film is set apart from many of its competition thanks to its setting, and whilst there have been a few mountain-bound action films, Cliffhanger is undoubtedly the best and the locale adds an extra layer of tension to the already volatile situation.

LawnBoy-4 (Spoilers ahead)I get that action yarns such as this typically require a partial or complete suspension of disbelief, but, when a movie comes along that is so staggeringly stupid that the requirement of said suspension constitutes an intellectual assault on the viewer, well, it's impossible to give the film makers a pass. This is such a movie.Others have already covered the plot in more detail than is necessary, so you've already been sufficiently apprised of the fact that Lithgow & Co. are searching the mountains of Colorado (Canadian rockies, in actuality) for the money they've stolen and subsequently lost. Stallone, in typical Stallone fashion, plays the over-the-top action hero who is, in this specific case, a tortured soul thanks to his inability to save a friend from a tragic fall.Moving on to the idiocy, I'll list but a few of the offenses that make this movie so unforgettably awful:1. The 60-year old, non-weight rated, hardware store-quality rope that manages to somehow hold both Stallone and "Jesse" as they repel their way to eventual safety whilst fraying, piece by piece. In tact, the rope would not hold either one, let alone both, for 5 seconds before breaking. The idea that it would be able to hold both of them, even after having sustained broken braids caused me to roll my eyes so far into the back of my head that I actually sustained a headache.2. The scene in which Stallone manages to kill Travis from below river surface may have been the single most offensively unrealistic scene in the movie and here's why: First, when the body spends any degree of time in freezing water, muscles become nearly "paralyzed", making quick movements almost impossible. Yet somehow, Stallone was able to quickly remove his shirt, see through the murky water/ice and, in quick-draw fashion, shoot Travis as he stood above him on the ice. Next, As we saw earlier in the movie, the cold temps caused Stallone to struggle after having encountered Jesse in the shelter. How, in God's name, was he not completely hypothermic after having been submerged for an extended period in icy water? Further, how did he manage to dry so quickly and remain calm (and non-shivering) within 10 mins after he had been rescued from the depths? Props to him for managing to restyle his hair, too! Finally, how was his decision to grab Travis and pull both of them into icy water an even remotely logical decision? 3. As great of an actor as John Lithgow has demonstrated himself to be, his scenery chewing and overacting were beyond absurd. Coupled with the vaguely European accent and repeated utterances of "BOSTID!" (bastard), his performance was just way over the top.4. Following on from #1 above, the scene in which Stallone somehow managed to grab and hold onto a rock face with one hand while gripping and ultimately pulling Jesse to safety with the other (all without chalk or ropes!) did, admittedly, cause me to laugh audibly, so props to the film makers for that.5. The use of night vision goggles during a supposed "night" scene (when Stallone and one of the villains slid for what appeared to be a couple of miles in the snow) was especially absurd given the fact that it was obviously filmed during the light of day.These are but a few of this film's transgressions. Overall, this is an Ed Wood/Uwe Boll-level action flick that begs for a Rifftrax treatment. The only reason I afforded it as many as two stars was due to the cinematography.

Tweekums Gabe Walker was a rescue worker in the Rocky Mountains but after an accident where he was unable to save the life of a friend he has left the mountains. Almost a year later he returns hoping to persuade his girlfriend, Jessie, to come back to Denver with him. He has no intention to go climbing but events conspire against him. A treasury plane transporting a hundred million dollars is intercepted and hijacked in an audacious attempt to steal the money. The robbery doesn't go according to plan and the three cases full of cash fall into the mountains and the hijacker's plane makes a forced landing. They then put out a false emergency call, claiming to be lost hikers. Gabe's former friend, Hal Tucker, responds to the Call and Jessie persuades Gabe to go too although it soon becomes clear that Hal hasn't blames him for what happened in the opening scene. That is all put behind them though when they are forced to help the hijackers. Gabe is forced to climb for one of the cases but when he finds it he scatters the money and then escapes as the villains accidentally trigger an avalanche. While Hal is forced to continue helping, Gabe meets up with Jessie and the two of them play cat and mouse with the hijackers in an attempt to get to the cash first and save Hal.When one thinks of action movies that usually means either lots of shooting or martial arts; this manages to be different. There is some shooting and fighting but much of the best action is provided by our protagonists struggling against the rugged mountain environment. There is also the spectacular hijack sequence where a character uses a rope to move between two planes in flight. The scenes on the mountains look great; it looks as though the characters are really precarious positions rather than obvious green screen shots. The film gets off to a great start with the shocking death of Gabe's friend then gets even more exciting when the main story get underway. Sylvester Stallone does an impressive job as Gabe and is ably supported by Michael Rooker and Janine Turner as fellow good guys Hal and Jessie. The bad guys are pretty impressive too; most notably John Lithgow who is delightfully over the top as Qualen, the psychotic leader of the villains. Some of the action is quite brutal; surprisingly so as I'd previously only seen the heavily cut UK VHS release which is less violent and much less sweary than the uncut version. Overall I heartily recommend this to anybody wanting a fine action movie which features great stunts rather than obvious CGI.

slightlymad22 Continuing my plan to watch every Sly Stallone movie in order, I come to 1993's Cliffhanger.Whilst his muscle bound rival, Arnold Schwarzenegger was scoring huge with Terminator 2 in his last movie, Sly's movies were tanking and tanking hard. So after coming to terms with the fact he wasn't going to score a hit movie with comedies, and unable to return to the safety net of Rocky and Rambo (after the last movies under performed) Sly returned to the action genre, more in need of a hit than ever.Plot In A Paragraph: A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being scattered throughout the Rocky Mountains. Mountain worker Gabe Walker (Stallone) is forced to guide the high jackers (Led by John Lithgow) to the suitcases. Cliffhanger has one of the greatest openings to a movie ever!! I rate it up there with Jaws, Raiders Of The Lost Ark and Saving Private Ryan! It's that good!! Renny Harlin is a director who is either great or awful. Thankfully it's the former here, and the action scenes are all brilliantly (if slightly unbelievable) staged. Trevor Jones score is a real winner too. Despite some awful stunt doubles, some dodgy use of miniatures, and obvious studio sets mixed with real footage, Cliffhanger is very enjoyable. With the exception of an over the top John Lithgow, Rex Linn and Caroline Goodall, who all put in fine turns. The villains are as cardboard, two dimensional and cliché as the come. But this is the Stallone show, and backed up by the always reliable Michael Rooker he is back on top form. OK it's still a bit of a one man army story, but it's certainly more believable than the last Rambo. He may not be the number one Box Office Star in the world anymore, Kevin Costner, who'd been scoring big in The Untouchables, No Way Out, Bull Durham, Field Of Dreams, JFK, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, The Bodyguard and the Oscar winning Dances With Wolves (which he directed) whilst Sly movies under performed, had over taken over him as the biggest movie star on the planet. And rival Schwarzenegger was doing better than him too, thanks to Predator, Total Recall and T2, but Cliffhanger proves that back in the action hero role, Sly still had it in him to deliver the goods.