K2 (1991)

A U.S. climbing team, funded by millionaire Clairborne is determined to conquer K2.

Director:

Franc Roddam

Writers:

Patrick Meyers (screenplay), Scott Roberts (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Biehn, Matt Craven, Annie Grindlay

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Biehn	...	Taylor
Matt Craven	...	Harold
Annie Grindlay	...	Lisa
Elena Wohl	...	Tracey (as Elena Stiteler)
Blu Mankuma	...	Man on Wheelchair
Charles Oberman	...	Tony
Julia Nickson	...	Cindy (as Julia Nickson-Soul)
Christopher M. Brown	...	Carl (as Christopher Brown)
Leslie Carlson	...	Dexter
David Cubitt	...	Peter
Luca Bercovici	...	Dallas
Edward Spatt	...	Mike
Andrew Spatt	...	Todd
Hiroshi Fujioka	...	Takane
Patricia Charbonneau	...	Jacki

Storyline

Taylor and Harold are good friends and avid climbers. While climbing one day, they meet a man who it seems might be attempting to climb K2, the world's second-highest peak. Always pushy, Taylor bugs the man for a spot on the team, claiming that he and Harold are good enough. They may be very good, but K2 is a very tough mountain.

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Plot Keywords:

friendship between men | rescue | avalanche | mountaineer | base camp | 

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Taglines:

Between the earth and the sky lies the sheer face of adventure.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Porche driven through town is a Porsche 356 B Cabriolet, rather valuable some models now sell for up to $250,000.

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Goofs

When the team are around 20,000 feet and complaining about the lack of oxygen, one of the characters says: "Welcome to the death zone." In fact, the death zone refers to the altitude at which there is insufficient oxygen properly to sustain life and this is generally accepted to be above 8,000m or around 26,000 feet.

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Quotes

Harold: [Harold and Taylor are in a tent] Hey Taylor, you awake?
Taylor Brooks: No.

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Alternate Versions

The British version features scenes not present in the US version, including scenes showing Taylor at his job.

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Connections

Referenced in Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

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Soundtracks

Descent
Written and Performed by Hans Zimmer

User Reviews

Realistic adventure movie.

I liked this movie enough to having watched it three times as of now. With few exceptions, it's a realistic adventure movie - this according to a friend who has done 5000+ meter climbs - with beautiful scenery, very interestingly developing plot, personal intrigues, good humor etc. Also, the acting is generally excellent, where the two main characters are the cream of the crop.

The only thing I don't like is the kind of "Crap, we ran out of money, how do we put a quick end to this?" ending. Also, the quality of the picture is a bit "amateurish", the "home VCR" kind of quality at times with that dreaded bad contrast which makes for a "grey-biassed" picture. Not a good thing for an adventure/trek movie with beautiful scenery.

All in all, it's indeed enjoyable to watch, though. Moderately recommended. Rating: 7/10

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK Japan USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

K2

Filming Locations:

Pakistan

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$930,655, 3 May 1992

Gross USA:

$3,106,559

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,106,559

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Trans Pacific Films, Miramax

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1