Review of Cliffhanger (1993) by Jason J — 04 Jul 2010

"Kill a few people, they call you a murderer. Kill a million and you're a conqueror. Go figure.".

Filmmaker Renny Harlin is no stranger to action films, and over the years he has proved skilled at staging exciting action set-pieces. Likewise, Sylvester Stallone was an acknowledged action super-star by the late '80s. During the early 1990s, Stallone's attempts to branch out into other genres miserably failed both financially and artistically (Stop! Or My Mum Will Shoot, anyone?), so he opted to buff up and star in 1993's Cliffhanger, which was helmed by Harlin. Fortunately, Cliffhanger is one of the few Die Hard copycat movies that - in terms of direction, visual style and level of action - can confidently stand alongside John McTiernan's 1988 action opus (this film is certainly superior to the fourth Die Hard instalment). It doesn't matter about the pasting it endured from the critics or how predictable it is, as Cliffhanger is primo entertainment. Produced in the heyday of hard-R action shenanigans, this is one of the most solid, enjoyable action movies of the '90s.

In the film, Stallone plays expert mountain climber Gabe Walker. Following a tragic climbing accident that leaves a friend dead in the Rocky Mountains, Gabe leaves the area to set up a new life. Almost a year later, Gabe returns to visit his lover Jessie (Turner) to persuade her to come live with him. Unfortunately, his arrival coincides with a botched midair hijacking of a U.S. Treasury flight escorting millions of dollars. With the plane having crashed, the armed criminals - led by the psychotic Qualen (Lithgow) - call in a faux report of hikers being stranded in order to lure a rescue team to their aid and use them to retrieve the money. While ranger Hal (Rooker) heads into the mountains to carry out the rescue, Jessie persuades Gabe to respond to the distress call as well, and hence the criminals hold them both at gunpoint to force the pair to do their bidding. In John McClane fashion, Gabe manages to escape and begins working to foil Qualen's plans.

Considering the high replay value of Cliffhanger, in addition to the sense of adventure, the sinister villains, the breathtaking visuals, the sparkling one-liners and the endearing protagonist, there's no mistaking this for one of Renny Harlin's finest forays into the action genre. It's a standout which proudly stands alongside other classic '90s action productions (such as Speed, Face/Off, Con Air, etc) for its relentless sense of danger and tension, and its incredibly high entertainment value. Following a perilous tone-setter of an opening sequence, the movie's adrenaline levels are set in motion and barely relent until the party is over. The 110-minute running time (rather lengthy for an actioner) flies by unbelievably quickly. More than that, while a suspension of disbelief is called for from time to time, the movie is at no point ridiculously over-the-top or cartoonish. In fact, Sly himself demanded for a stunt to be altered in post-production after a test screening audience laughed out loud at said stunt's impossibility.

Cliffhanger does borrow elements from countless other action pictures, of course, and it invariably falls flat throughout scenes of drama. The screenplay (written by Stallone and co-writer Michael France) is full of routine dialogue frequently punctuated by clichés, and some of these moments cause the pace to lag. At the beginning, lame acting mixed with "Please don't let me die!" is fairly cringe-worthy as well. Yet, with the rest of the movie in mind, it's easy to overlook these blunders. After showing a flair for action in Die Hard 2, Renny Harlin solidified his reputation with Cliffhanger. His direction combined with Alex Thompson's cinematography is spectacular, with the Italian Alps proving to be a glorious substitute for the Rocky Mountains. A zingy, memorable score courtesy of Trevor Jones topped everything off commendably.

While Sylvester Stallone's role here is more about grunting, fighting and performing Herculean physical tasks than anything profound or challenging, Sly did a great job. He's believable as Gabe Walker, and does not come across as a flat, one-dimensional action protagonist. It's also worth noting that, though Stallone's character may be named Gabe, the actor channelled a great deal from Rocky and Rambo, with a little John McClane thrown in for good measure. Alongside Sly, John Lithgow is a solid villain. He's heartless, cold and calculating, but it's his calm and always in control demeanour which makes him sinister. Cliffhanger also features fine efforts from Michael Rooker as Hal, Rex Linn as Travers, and Janine Turner as Jessie. Of course, nobody deserved to pick up Oscars for their roles here (the Oscar nominations the film received were for technical accomplishments instead), yet each cast member pulled off their duties to a high standard.

Definitely a career high point for both Renny Harlin and Sylvester Stallone, Cliffhanger is all about grand-scale action set-pieces, violence and one-liners. It's predictable at times, sure, but like most actioners it's all about the journey as opposed to the destination, and this journey is one hell of an adrenaline rush. The film is a riveting old-school popcorn action film first and foremost, and thus the entertainment value consistently remains high and the film never takes itself too seriously.