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Perhaps unexpectedly,
Cliffhanger is literally about men who hang from cliffs. It was
made at a time when action adventure films sported recognizable,
catchy theme music, the heroes were abnormally muscular, the villains
unnecessarily despicable, and everyone got to spout absurd one-line
retaliations before and after significant death scenes. Directed
by Renny Harlin (after Die Hard 2, but before Cutthroat Island)
with a screenplay by Sylvester Stallone, Cliffhanger is one of the
most enjoyable, cheesy action films of the 90’s, going so
far as to earn itself three Academy Award nominations, a Razzie
nod for Worst Picture, and a Japanese Academy Award acknowledgment
for Best Foreign Film.
Experienced mountain climber Gabriel Walker (Stallone) can’t
forgive himself for an accident that cost the life of his best
friend’s girlfriend. During a standard Rocky Mountain rescue,
Gabe and Hal Tucker (Michael Rooker) were forced into split second
decisions with fatal consequences (a particularly suspenseful
opening sequence that would be hilariously parodied by Ace Ventura).
Walker takes an eight month leave while his significant other
Jessie (Janine Turner) and Hal continue to work and struggle through
the grief. |
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As Walker dwells on
all the blame he’s stockpiled for himself, a crooked treasury
agent (Rex Linn) boards a jet transporting $100 million of uncirculated
Denver Mint bills. The plan is to transfer the money, safeguarded
in large metal cases, midair to another plane commanded by the ruthless
Eric Qualen (John Lithgow). Qualen is a man involved in industrial
espionage with the international connections to move the cash. When
the hijacking goes awry, the cases are scattered onto the mountains
and the treasonous men are stranded in the unfavorable environment
of the Rocky Mountains.
John Lithgow plays a character comparable to Kurtwood Smith in Robocop. Both are hilariously evil and both would go on to star in popular television comedy series. Lithgow gets the best (or worst) lines of dialogue, full of unintentional humor and shocking coarseness. But it’s Stallone who has time to build a snowman to taunt the baddies (not unlike Bruce Willis decorating a fallen henchman in Die Hard), and who gets ridden down a mountainside like a sled. “You hit like a sissy!” he challenges after getting severely beaten by one of Qualen’s mercenaries, proving once again that in the movies he can withstand more than most. With oodles of gratuitous violence, nonsensical plot elements and avalanches, blizzards, wolves, bats and rabbits to contend with, Cliffhanger is a silly but solidly entertaining adventure thriller. - Mike Massie |
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