Movie · 1993 · Action, Adventure, Thriller · 1h 53m · R · English
Curator score: 3.1/10 (216.8K ratings)
Hang on.
Overview
A year after losing his friend in a tragic 4,000-foot fall, former ranger Gabe Walker and his partner, Hal, are called to return to the same peak to rescue a group of stranded climbers, only to learn the climbers are actually thieving hijackers who are looking for boxes full of money.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.1/10
IMDb: 6.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.22/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Metacritic: 59
TMDB: 6.5/10
Director
Renny Harlin
Production
Carolco Pictures, Le Studio Canal+, Pioneer, RCS Video
Cast
Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner, Rex Linn, Caroline Goodall, Leon, Craig Fairbrass, Gregory Scott Cummins, Denis Forest, Michelle Joyner, Max Perlich, Paul Winfield, Ralph Waite, Trey Brownell, Zach Grenier, Vyto Ruginis, Don S. Davis, Scott Hoxby, John Finn
Curator Review
Verdict
A loud, old-school mountain action thriller that delivers exactly what it promises: vertigo, practical stunt work, a gleefully nasty villain, and a steady stream of big, physical set pieces. The plotting is thin and familiar, but the scale and commitment make it an easy watch for action fans.
Best for
fans of 90s action movies
viewers who like practical stunts and location shooting
people in the mood for a high-concept survival thriller
fans of charismatic villain performances
viewers who enjoy pulpy, over-the-top set pieces
Skip if
you want realistic climbing or rescue procedures
you dislike derivative Die Hard-style action
you need strong character depth or emotional subtlety
you are turned off by cartoonish violence and one-liners
Overview
Cliffhanger is pure peak-era studio action: broad, bruising, and built around the kind of physical spectacle that digital effects mostly replaced. The mountain setting gives it a clean, punishing identity, and the film knows how to turn sheer altitude into suspense. Even when the story is familiar, the execution is muscular enough to keep it moving.
Worth noting
Sylvester Stallone leans into the role as a battered, guilt-ridden survivor, while John Lithgow has a field day as a smirking villain who seems to enjoy every bad decision he makes. Their contrast gives the movie a nasty charge, and the practical stunt work still lands because it feels dangerous rather than polished.
Bottom line
It is absolutely a product of its era, with all the contrivances and macho excess that implies. But if you want a big, cold-weather action movie that treats gravity like an enemy and never stops escalating, this is one of the better examples of the form.
Top Letterboxd reviews
matt lynch (4★) · 551 likes
Endlessly, beautifully committed to loud, nasty violence, never missing a chance to beat the hell out of its hero and leave a bloody mess of his enemies. Lithgow makes a terrific villain, totally having a blast matching Sly's every punch with a terrible quip. Bench-pressing a guy onto a stalactite has to be one of the all-time great action movie kills. No contrivance is omitted in its pursuit of cheap thrills. And then there's the fantastic late-analog spectacle. Literally every… more Endlessly, beautifully committed to loud, nasty violence, never missing a chance to beat the hell out of its hero and leave a bloody mess of his enemies. Lithgow makes a terrific villain, totally having a blast matching Sly's every punch with a terrible quip. Bench-pressing a guy onto a stalactite has to be one of the all-time great action movie kills. No contrivance is omitted in its pursuit of cheap thrills. And then there's the fantastic late-analog spectacle. Literally every… more
Will Menaker (3★) · 453 likes
The opening scene of this movie vividly renders one of my greatest nightmares...dating someone who's into outdoorsy stuff like hiking, mountain biking, climbing, etc.
Solid. Good action. Great locations. Rooker, Stallone, Lithgow, Leon and Sides God Rex Linn.
Jamelle Bouie (2★) · 363 likes
All you need to know about this movie is that Stallone lifts a man into a stalactite and kills him. Five stars, retroactive Best Picture.
Matt! (4★) · 337 likes
Free Solo meets Four Loko in this 90s Stallone action classic (which feels more like a product of the 80s than it does the 90s) where sad boi Sly mopes around a snowy mountaintop before getting tangled up with murderous psychopath John Lithgow and a criminal crew that somehow actually feels representative of realistic coworker interaction in how much they just can’t fucking stand each other. Sure, it’s a total Die Hard rip-off, but it’s got giant explosions, bloody kills… more Free Solo meets Four Loko in this 90s Stallone action classic (which feels more like a product of the 80s than it does the 90s) where sad boi Sly mopes around a snowy mountaintop before getting tangled up with murderous psychopath John Lithgow and a criminal crew that somehow actually feels representative of realistic coworker interaction in how much they just can’t fucking stand each other. Sure, it’s a total Die Hard rip-off, but it’s got giant explosions, bloody kills… more
Josh Lewis (4★) · 291 likes
Blatantly derivative of Die Hard/Point Break (just about every action movie from this period) yes, but still among the finer practical action spectacles of the 90s. From the real, super illegal aerial heist sequence that Stallone had to take a pay cut to convince the stuntman to do all the way to the climax which has Lithgow's cartoon knockoff villain and Stallone trading fists/one-liners atop a helicopter hanging to a mountain by a thread this thing just glides from survival… more Blatantly derivative of Die Hard/Point Break (just about every action movie from this period) yes, but still among the finer practical action spectacles of the 90s. From the real, super illegal aerial heist sequence that Stallone had to take a pay cut to convince the stuntman to do all the way to the climax which has Lithgow's cartoon knockoff villain and Stallone trading fists/one-liners atop a helicopter hanging to a mountain by a thread this thing just glides from survival… more