Review of Cliffhanger (1993) by Jonny P — 29 Feb 2012

This post-Rambo Stallone action film (see where I'm headed with this?) has some cool sequences but a lot of lousy dialogue. To be honest, this film's positive rating comes mainly from John Lithgow, who always makes a genius villain.

He is particularly heartless in this film and that heartlessness makes his character unpredictable, giving this film some edge. I also enjoyed Janine Turner in the role of Jessie, but that's just because she was an even better visual than the special effects.

The other thing working in this film's favor is its story with the false radio call made for rescue. Because of this, the audience knows more than the characters and we get to see the characters experience a twist that we're already in on - that was pretty cool.

Unfortunately, none of these things matter when the demise of the villain is sealed with this line: "Remember, s***head! Keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times!" The only good dialogue comes from Lithgow, and it isn't because it is well written but because he can turn the worst lines into the most intense.

This film has a lot of bells and whistles (in the form of special effects) that make it an okay but, outside of John Lithgow, this film does not have the quality to qualify as a classic.