Sub Zero (2005) (V)

Director:

Jim Wynorski

Writer:

Jonas Quastel (written by)

Release Date:

6 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

The fate of humankind is only a slip away.

Plot:

A device that controls a powerful Russian-made satellite weapon is stolen by Russian terrorists, who try to escape by flying out but are shot down...

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Terrorist | Mountain | Exploding Helicopter | Snow

Cast

Costas Mandylor	...	John Deckert
Nia Peeples	...	Kelli Paris
Linden Ashby	...	Soloman Davis
Michael Sunczyk	...	Mike Foster
Jim Thorburn	...	Mike Frazier
Colin Lawrence	...	Pete Tanner
Jacqueline Samuda	...	Sasha Mirov
Mike Dopud	...	Dr. Petrov Jenko
Zoran Vukelic	...	Ivan Salatka
Michael Ryan	...	General Martin Cook
Michael Ryan	...	Major Martin Cook
Alistair Abell	...	Lt. Charles Brill
Dalias Blake	...	Officer McCoy
Michael Kopsa	...	President James Jordan
Tim Henry	...	Sec. TJ Stocker
Bruce Dawson	...	Sec. Roger Banks
Alex Bruhanski	...	Ivan Gregerov
Kiara Hunter	...	Major Tamara Holbrook
Peter Graham-Gaudreau	...	Captain T.J. Vickwire
Michael Debras	...	Pilot
Glori-Anne Gilbert	...	Nikki Radcliff (as Gloria Lynn Berg)
Ari Solomon	...	Leader
John Sampson	...	Walker
Taras Kostyuk	...	Boxer
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alexander Mandra	...	Lab Worker (uncredited)
Jason Metcalfe	...	Injured Climber (uncredited)
Chhultim Sherpa	...	Monk (uncredited)
Jim Wynorski	...	Tracking Station Scientist (uncredited)

Directed by
Jim Wynorski		(as Jay Andrews)

Writing credits
Jonas Quastel		(written by)

Produced by
Matthew Cervi	....	associate producer
Michael Derbas	....	line producer
Michael Derbas	....	producer
Lisa M. Hansen	....	executive producer
Alexander Mandra	....	assistant producer
Carl Mason	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Michael Neilson		(as Mike Neilson)

Cinematography by
Michael Wale		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jesse James Miller

Production Design by
Phil Schmidt

Art Direction by
Shmakin Slava

Set Decoration by
Sierra Laflamme

Costume Design by
Heather Douglas

Makeup Department
Julie Beaton-Pachauer	....	makeup artist (as Julie Beaton)
John L. Healy	....	key makeup artist
Jeffrey Ward	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Selena La Brooy	....	production manager
Vicki L. Sawyer	....	executive in charge of production

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Josy Capkun	....	second assistant director
Sirish Harman	....	first assistant director
Paula S. Kyan	....	trainee assistant director
Tanya Tagman	....	third assistant director (as Tanya Tagmann)

Art Department
Christopher A.R. Lowe	....	set dresser
Jason Metcalfe	....	property master
Wyatt Soutzo	....	construction coordinator
Wyatt Soutzo	....	paint coordinator

Sound Department
Kevin Belen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kris Casavant	....	assistant sound editor
Talvinder Gill	....	assistant sound editor
Gord Hillier	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bill Mellow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jean Raymond	....	foley mixer
Dario DiSanto	....	foley editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jason Metcalfe	....	armourer

Visual Effects by
Ritesh Aggarwal	....	digital compositor: Digital Slaves VFX
Richie Basilan	....	lead compositor
Corey Bastiaans	....	digital compositor: Digital Slaves VFX
Riley Benard	....	junior compositor: Digital Slaves VFX
Jeannine Dupuy	....	visual effects data coordinator
Stanislav Enilenis	....	lead compositor
Keith M. Hamilton	....	digital compositor: Digital Slaves VFX
Keith M. Hamilton	....	visual effects supervisor: Digital Slaves VFX
Ricardo Melgoza	....	visual effects artist
Julia K.S. Miles	....	visual effects producer: Digital Slaves VFX

Stunts
Krista Bell	....	stunts
Alexander Mandra	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Alexander Mandra	....	stunt rigger
Alexander Mandra	....	stunts
James Ralph	....	stunt double
John Sampson	....	stunt coordinator
John Sampson	....	utility stunts
Wyatt Soutzo	....	stunts
Rob Wilton	....	stunt performer
Jason Metcalfe	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Carty	....	first assistant camera
Jeff Cassidy	....	trainee assistant camera
Laird Pierce	....	second assistant camera
Peter Wilke	....	Steadicam operator

Editorial Department
Kevin James Brown	....	dailies colorist
Claudio Sepulveda	....	final colorist
Jennifer Westerman	....	telecine assistant

Other crew
Jeannine Dupuy	....	script supervisor
Alexander Mandra	....	voice and dialogue coach
Alexis Morfopoulos	....	assistant to producer
John Sampson	....	head armorer
Angelika Walaszczyk	....	production assistant
Robyn Wiener	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Avrio Filmworks

Distributors

• Indies Home Entertainment (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD) (retail)
• Lions Gate Films Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Movie Bank (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD) (rental)
• RTL Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing) (RTL7)
• VCL Communications (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Digital Slaves VFX (visual effects)

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence

Country:

Canada

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG | Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Avrio Filmworks

Trivia:

The opening sequence is simply a cheaper version of the opening sequence from the movie "Cliffhanger."

Goofs:

Factual errors: The twin engine aircraft that is crash landed in the beginning is a Metroliner. This is turbine powered and the audio is clearly from a piston engine.

Cheesy Z-grade mountaintop thrills

An unashamed Z-grade mountaineering flick, directed by a man (Jim Wynorski, hiding under a pseudonym) better known for making trashy T 'n' A movies and with a storyline that's more than happy to rip off VERTICAL LIMIT. If you like watching overly familiar, silly movies loaded with stock footage, awful plotting and some outrageously poor effects, you've come to the right place.

Things begin with a supposedly dramatic sequence set atop a sheer cliff. It soon turns out that this is a direct rip-off of CLIFFHANGER's famous opening scene. From here on in, we get a silly, half-baked storyline involving a futuristic satellite weapon that looks like nothing more than a cheap Rubik's cube. There are some outer space shots that look awfully familiar to the ones in UNDER SIEGE 2, and a squad of Russian terrorists whose tendency toward self-destruction makes them some of the dumbest ever shown on screen.

Eventually, the plot gets around to sending a bunch of would-be heroics up an impassable mountain in Tibet in a race against time (yawn). No surprises that there are some more dastardly betrayals, some dodgy Russians and a token black guy whose only purpose is to get bumped off ASAP. The high-rise heroics make use of plenty of sub-par CGI and characters don't bat an eyelid when long-time friends are decimated by stock-footage avalanches.

Of the cast, lead Costas Mandylor is the most familiar from his appearances in seemingly dozens of SAW sequels. He's supported by Linden Ashby (who was a one-time action hero in the likes of MORTAL KOMBAT, although his acting hasn't improved since then), and the pretty but vacuous Nia Peeples. Aside from some low-rent machine-gun action, there's not much going on here, leaving this a Z-movie to be endured rather than enjoyed. Still, there's far worse out there even if this is below average by genre standards, although that's not a recommendation.