watch cliffhanger make me nostalgic for the early 90 and a time when virtually every new action movie could be describe a die hard in a or on a. cliffhanger be die hard on a mountain and and pretty good and for what it be . but unlike passenger 57 and under siege and which be decent die hard clone on their own term and cliffhanger dispenses with the enclosed feeling of many action movie and embrace breathtaking landscape that and in their immensity and threaten to overwhelm and trivialize the conflict of the people fight and die among the peak . year before other movie like a simple plan and fargo dramatize crime and murder on snowbound location and cliffhanger director renny harlin recognize the visual impact of juxtapose brutal violence and grim struggle to survive against cold and indifferent natural surroundings . the opening sequence have already receive substantial praise and all of which it deserve represent it intensity allow u to forget the artifice of the camera and the actor and simply believe that what we be see be actually happen . not even harlin shot of the fall stuffed animal and which be powerfully effective but still threaten to become too much of a joke ( and which he repeat in deep blue sea ) and or the ridiculous expression on ralph waite face and can dim the sequence power . the next impressive set piece be the gunfight and heist aboard the jet . a write by stallone and michael france and direct by harlin and the audience be plunge into the action by not initially know which agent be involve in the theft and which be not represent the bloody double cross be completely unexpected . a roger ebert have observe and the stuntman who make the mid air transfer between the plane deserve some special recognition . later and during the avalanche sequence and one of the terrorist or thief appear to be actually fall a the wall of snow carry him down the mountain . so far a i know and no one be kill in the making of this movie ( a small miracle and consider the extreme nature of some of the stunt ) and so obviously a dummy be use for the shot . but the shot itself remain impressive because be leave wonder how harlin ( or more likely one of the second unit director ) know exactly where to place the camera . i will take sly stallone a my action hero any day of the week and because he one of the few movie star i have ever see who completely convince a someone who can withstand a lot of physical and emotional pain and and at the same time actually feel that pain . the role of gabe walker really complement stallone act strength represent he play an old and more vulnerable kind of action hero and give an impressively low key performance a a mountain rescuer who must redeem himself . in contrast to many of today post matrix and comic book inspire action hero and stallone walker be an ordinary man who become a hero without any paranormal or computer enhance ability . in cliffhanger and the hero almost freeze to death and and his clothes start to show big tear a he barely escape one dangerous situation after another . he wince when he hit and bleeds when he cut and particularly in the cavern sequence when he take a rocky style pummel from one of the mad dog villain . it should be note that the utterly despicable villain really contribute to the movie effectiveness represent when i first saw this movie a a teenager and i be root for the good guy every step of the way and anticipate when another bad guy would bite the dust ( or rather and the ice ) while at one point i actually cheer a one of the most cold blood character in the movie deservedly suffer a violent demise . lithgow british accent be as unconvincing a the movie occasional model plane or model helicopter and but he fundamentally a good actor and and one of the few who can perfectly recite silly dialogue represent in one scene and look at his hostage stallone and rooker and try to decide which task to give them and he actually say you and stay . you and fetch . even a good actor and such a anthony hopkins and might have have trouble with that line . even if cliffhanger occasionally toss credibility aside and it do so only for the sake of a more entertaining show . early in the movie and for example and lithgow openly say to one of his men retire [ stallone ] when he come down . no real criminal mastermind would have make this mistake even unconsciously represent his carelessness allow rooker to shout a warning up to sly on the rock face and and this precipitate a gripping tug of war between stallone and the bad guy try to pull him down by the rope tie to his leg . lithgow could have give his order by a more subtle mean and but the sequence might not have be as much fun to watch if it hadn not give rooker an opportunity to openly defy the arrogance of his captor . do very much in the style of a saturday matinee serial or ( at time ) a western and cliffhanger be build on such a solid foundation that it survive some weak element that would have undermine a less film . besides the painfully obvious aircraft model mention before and the weak moment include a couple of scene shoot on cheap indoor set with really fake snow and as well a two other scene involve bat and wolf that seem unnecessary in an already action pack narrative . finally and harlin decision to film some of the death scene in slow motion seem pointless and since the technique contribute nothing to the scene . it a shame that stallone be now too old for action movie and because his character in this movie seem so credible that inevitably i wonder what he would be like year later . but perhaps it best that cliffhanger stand on it own for all time and without a sequel represent there be enough tired and obsolete movie franchise already . there be an unofficial sequel that call itself vertical limit represent compare to that clinker and cliffhanger belongs on the imdb top 250 list . rating represent 8 ( very good and especially consider most of stallone other movie . ) .