Karry Best movie of this year hands down!

Lawbolisted Powerful

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

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.

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.

mandtplatt 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.

OllieSuave-007 Sylvester Stallone stars in an action thriller where his character, Gabe Walker, has to deal with a tragedy that occurred while climbing a mountain range. Meanwhile, a group of thieves led by Eric Qualen (John Lithgow) hijack a $100,000,000 delivery but their plans go awry and they wound up crashing into the mountain range. After they radio for help, Gabe and his partner Hal Tucker (Michael Rooker) respond, not knowing they would be forced to guide the thieves to locate the money.This is an exciting little action flick full of thrills and roller-coaster rides as our heroes attempt to scale the mountain in search for the missing money before the bad guys do. Thrown in the mix is a daring rescue mission and awesome stunt work. Stallone makes a formidable action hero while Lithgow makes a ruthless, love-to-hate lead villain. The plot is fast-paced and the acting is serviceable, albeit a little corny at times. One major issue I had is that I didn't like the part where the villains first appear before Gabe and Hal. There was no suspense or tension built-up like you would normally see in action movies when the film's protagonist first sees the antagonists.Other than some minor set-backs, it's a neat action flick to watch for a friends night-out.Grade B-