Review of Cliffhanger (1993) by Caesar M — 09 Jun 2013

Sylvester Stallone will always hold a place in film history for writing and starring in the original "Rocky", but the rest of the his career never aspired to the same height. From bad choices like choosing to star in "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot", bad directorial efforts like "Staying Alive", and proving his acting chops in "Cop Land" which he did at the cost of his career being in a stump for a decade. While Stallone doesn't always hit the mark Cliffhanger is one of those films that gives us thrilling action without tossing the plot like some of Stallone's other action ventures.

Cliffhanger plot is about an expert climber who finds himself taken hostage with a fellow friend by a gang of dangerous criminals on the search for suitcases full of stolen cash in the Rocky Mountains. One could essentially call this "Die Hard" in the mountains, but that shouldn't take anything away from the film itself. As oppose some "Die Hard" clones our hero and villain have the force of nature against them. Having to rely more so on brain and speed to survive the natural conditions against them than simply having the best weapons. Our heroes are given more depth than the villain himself. The villain is by no means bad since you will want to see his demise, but ultimately is a routine baddie. Killing the usual innocents to get the idea of his coldness across without being developed much and making the occasional dumb choices. As for it depiction of rock climbing it is very off and easy to spot the errors. Not a negative since the film does so for thrills which it has plenty off. Some bad lines creep their way onto the screen though it adds the fun hearing goofy lines being said. The plot never feels secondary to the action building upon its premise with competent writing making the most of its plot.

Sylvester Stallone obviously plays the hero this time without the invincibility or the arsenal to back him up. This is a Stallone hero being vulnerable taking punches, nearly avoiding gunshots, and traversing the rocky mountains. Giving an impressively low-key performance as a mountain rescuer who must redeem himself. Adding a sense of tension that would other not be here if it were another film. John Lithgow is excellent as the film's antagonist, but not entirely successful. His British accent is unconvincing doing his best to make some bad dialogue sound good. The supporting are good, but is more a showcase of Stallone going against Lithgrow. The action scenes use the rocky mountain for more than good scenery. The action set pieces includes the usual explosions, plane hijackings, and avoiding gunfire, but added the force of nature for environmental hazards. One action scene in particular between transferring from one plane to another is the best looking of the film only matched by fitting climax raising the stakes further.

Cliffhanger is an action classic putting Stallone in the role of a character that is never invincible or relies on a heavy arsenal to save the day. With great a story complemented by great action scenes it will surely satisfy action junkie as well as the average movie goer.