Cliffhanger (1993)

A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers:

John Long (premise), Michael France (screen story),

Stars:

Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sylvester Stallone	...	Gabe Walker
John Lithgow	...	Eric Qualen
Michael Rooker	...	Hal Tucker
Janine Turner	...	Jessie Deighan
Rex Linn	...	Richard Travers
Caroline Goodall	...	Kristel - Jet Pilot
Leon	...	Kynette
Craig Fairbrass	...	Delmar
Gregory Scott Cummins	...	Ryan
Denis Forest	...	Heldon
Michelle Joyner	...	Sarah
Max Perlich	...	Evan
Paul Winfield	...	Walter Wright
Ralph Waite	...	Frank
Trey Brownell	...	Brett

Storyline

Whilst crossing a ledge, 4000 feet above the earth, Gabe's friend's equipment fails to work and she slips out of his hand, falling to the ground. Almost a year later, Gabe is asked to go back to the same mountain range and rescue a group of 'stranded' people. The only catch is that these so called 'stranded' people are in fact looking for three boxes filled with $100,000,000 and they need a mountain ranger to lead them to them!!

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Plot Keywords:

money | mountain | climbing | snow | rocky mountains | 

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Taglines:

The height of adventure.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and language

Details

Country:

Italy France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Riesgo total

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$65,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

£7,834,921 (UK) (13 August 1993)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Canal+, Pioneer

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby Digital (35 mm prints) (Europe) Dolby SR (35 mm prints) (USA)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was originally titled "Gale Force" under the Carolco studio. The script concerned Sylvester Stallone fighting a band of terrorists/thieves in a coastal town during a hurricane. Deemed too expensive to produce (after investing roughly $2 million in script rewrites and the original), the plug was pulled. The basic concept was then carried over to this film with the same director (Renny Harlin) and star (Sylvester Stallone) attached.

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Goofs

When Tucker helps Walker out of the water, Walker is soaking wet. We cut briefly to Qualen in the chopper, then when we cut back to Tucker and Walker, Walker is completely dry (even his hair).

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Quotes

Qualen: You want to kill me, don't you, Tucker? Well, get a number and get in line.

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Connections

Referenced in Vertical Limit (2000)

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Soundtracks

"DO YOU NEED SOME?"
Written by Matt Mercado
Performed by Mind Bomb
Courtesy of Mercury Records

User Reviews

The BEST action movie!

Since I first saw this in the theater it has been my favorite. Since then I've seen it countless times and I never get tired of it. The setting has a lot to do with it (the Colorado I know would be jealous), but the storyline is original and I liked how it used small town mountain folk as the heroes. There has not been a movie I can compare this too. John Lithgow plays a smart villain, but I love how he is completely out of his element--he has to follow Tucker around and that's what keeps it interesting. This is an action movie at it's BEST. I don't think I'll see another that is so entertaining.

You don't need 50,000 rounds fired to qualify as an action movie. It just has to keep you captivated, not shell-shocked.