Cliffhanger [DVD] [1993]

Sylvester Stallone plays Gabe Walker Mountain Rescue climber in the Rockies who quits his job and leaves town after a freak climbing accident which resulted in the death of his best friends girlfriend, him believing that it was in fact his fault. However, six months after the accident, Gabe returns to pick up the last few things he has, and to persuade his old lover to leave with him.

Meanwhile high up above the mountains a plane carring a hundred million dollars has been highjacked by a group of master mind criminals, and due to a loophole in their plan, have been forced to crash land the plane in the Rockies. With a big storm fast approaching, helicopters are out of the question to retreive them, and so Gabe is called upon to climb up and bring the back down safely.

However, the money that the criminals are after has been scattered in three black cases all over the place, and with the help of a tracking device, they force Gabe to take them to each location, little do they know that Gabe has his own plans and his familiarity of the mountains allow him to turn the tables.

The performances from all the cast are generally good, especially from Stallone whose acting ability if very often overlooked, and is in fact very good in this film. John Lithgow in his bad-guy mode plays Eric Qualen, the leader of the 'baddies'. This role was originally going to be played by Christopher Walken however he pulled out before shooting began. Michael Rooker plays Hal Tucker Gabe's 'ex' best mate who blames Gabe for the death of his girlfriend. And Janine Turner plays Jessie Deighan the girlfriend of Gabe.

As regards extras on this DVD, there are quite a few, which should please most fans. There are two trailers, a teaser trailer and an original theatrical trailer. There is a 'making of' documentary which shows you the dangers and problems of filming so high up in such an isolated place etc and some interviews from several of the cast and crew. There is a behind the scenes documentary which is just literally a look behind some of the scenes. There are a number of interviews with some of the cast, including Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, and Renny Harlin the director. Finally there is a a photo gallery with photos from the film. As i have said, plenty to satisfy fans.

This film also appears in the Guniness World Records for the most dangerous stunt ever in a movie. Which was jumping from one helicopter to another at thousands of feet up, with no for of safety cord or anything. This stunt was actaully performed by Stallone himself, no stunt doubles, as he wanted it to appear as real as possible. Obviously it was only performed once due to the danger risk.

On a slightly negative note, this DVD version of the film is significantly cut from the VHS version due to the age rating system of films now a days. Apparently the full version would not have made a fifteen certificate. Despite this, i don't think that the film really loses any of its excellence, and is just as entertaining amd enjoyable to watch.

Overall, 'Cliffhanger' really is a brilliant action movie that will certainly please fans of Sylvester Stallone, or just action fans in general. If your looking for a non-stop action movie to entertain you on a Saturday night, then this is the film for you. So an, awesome action packed movie with an awesome backdrop (the Alps), and some awesome performances. Highly recommended.