Cliffhanger
Cliffhanger movie poster
Directed by	Renny Harlin
Produced by	Renny Harlin Alan Marshall
Written by	John Long Michael France Sylvester Stallone
Starring	Sylvester Stallone John Lithgow Michael Rooker Janine Turner Leon Paul Winfield and Ralph Waite
Distributed by	TriStar Pictures
Release date(s)	May 28, 1993 (USA)
Running time	113 min.
Language	English
Budget	$65,000,000 (est.)
IMDb profile

Cliffhanger is a 1993 action movie directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow. Stallone plays a climber who becomes embroiled in a failed heist set in a U.S. Treasury plane flying through the Rocky Mountains. The film was a hit when it was released, making more than $250 million worldwide. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (505x755, 50 KB) Summary From http://www. ... Renny Harlin (born Lauri Mauritz Harjola on March 15, 1959 in Riihimäki, Finland) is a film director and producer mostly known for action movies. ... Renny Harlin (born Lauri Mauritz Harjola on March 15, 1959 in Riihimäki, Finland) is a film director and producer mostly known for action movies. ... Micheal France is a screenplay writer and has written screenplays for popular comic book films such as Hulk, The Punisher and Fantastic Four. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Michael Enzio Sylvester Stallone on July 6, 1946 Died 20th September 2007 in accident, is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Michael Enzio Sylvester Stallone on July 6, 1946 Died 20th September 2007 in accident, is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... John Arthur Lithgow (IPA: [ˈʤɔn ˈlɪθɡaʊ]) (born October 19, 1945) is an American actor perhaps best-known for his starring role as Dick Solomon in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. ... Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955 in Jasper, Alabama) is an American actor. ... Janine Turner (born Janine Loraine Gauntt on December 6, 1962) is an American actress, known for her starring role on General Hospital from 1982 to 1983 and the prime time television show Northern Exposure from 1990 to 1995. ... Leon Preston Robinson IV (born March 8, 1962) is an American actor and singer. ... Winfield as Captain Clark Terrell in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. ... Ralph Waite (born June 22, 1928 in White Plains, New York) is an American actor whose most famous role was John Walton Sr. ... The TriStar Pictures logo from 1993 to the present TriStar redirects here. ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Renny Harlin (born Lauri Mauritz Harjola on March 15, 1959 in Riihimäki, Finland) is a film director and producer mostly known for action movies. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Michael Enzio Sylvester Stallone on July 6, 1946 Died 20th September 2007 in accident, is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... John Arthur Lithgow (IPA: [ˈʤɔn ˈlɪθɡaʊ]) (born October 19, 1945) is an American actor perhaps best-known for his starring role as Dick Solomon in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. ... Rock climbers on Valkyrie at The Roaches in Staffordshire, England. ... For the 1967 film, see Robbery (film). ... For individual mountains named Rocky Mountain, see Rocky Mountain (disambiguation). ...

Plot

Stallone as climber Gabe Walker

In the opening scene, hotshot mountain climber Gabe Walker (Sylvester Stallone) loses his confidence after a rescue goes horribly wrong, resulting in the death of the girlfriend of his friend Hal Tucker (Michael Rooker). Gabe is then called back to perform a final rescue by his ex-girlfriend, Jessie Deighan (Janine Turner), and overcomes his inner demons to help bitter Hal with the rescue. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955 in Jasper, Alabama) is an American actor. ... Janine Turner (born Janine Loraine Gauntt on December 6, 1962) is an American actress, known for her starring role on General Hospital from 1982 to 1983 and the prime time television show Northern Exposure from 1990 to 1995. ...

The rescue turns out to be a fake; the two climbers are taken prisoner by ruthless thieves led by Eric Qualen (John Lithgow), who seeks to recover three suitcases containing $100 million in uncirculated US currency belonging to the United States Department of the Treasury. With the aid of turncoat Treasury agent Richard Travers (Rex Linn), Qualen and his associates attempt to steal the suitcases via a daring air-to-air transfer, but the transfer is foiled and the three suitcases are lost among the mountains. The thieves' plane loses power during the attempt and crashes. The suitcases holding the money have beacon locators, but the thieves need expert help locating them in the mountainous terrain, thus prompting them to summon the unwitting Walker and Tucker to their aid. The U.S. Treasury building today. ... Emergency position-indicating Radio beacons (EPIRB), Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELT) and Personal Locator Beacons, are tracking transmitters that operate as part of the Cospas-Sarsat Satellite System [1]. When activated, the beacons send out a distress signal that allows the beacon to be located by the satellite system and search...

The group locates the first of the three cases, and Walker is tethered to a rope and ordered to scale a steep wall to retrieve it. Walker frees himself from the rope, and the group begins firing up the cliff, causing an avalanche which kills one of Qualen's men. Seeing the money flutter down from the top of the cliff, Qualen presumes Walker to be dead and orders the group to proceed to the second case. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 437 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (450 × 617 pixel, file size: 73 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) http://www. ...

Walker survives the avalanche and makes his way to an abandoned cabin where he finds Jessie, who was airlifted into the area earlier. Together, they reach the second case only moments before Qualen and his mercenaries arrive. They find the case empty (except for a single $1000 bill with the words "Want to Trade?" written on it) and split up to find Walker. A fight ensues between Walker and one of the thieves, resulting in the latter plummeting into the darkness. The thieves, with Tucker still as their guide, make their way to the abandoned cabin for the night while Walker and Jessie throw the money into a fire and lay down to sleep.

The following morning, Walker and Jessie once again attempt to locate the remaining case before Qualen does.

The movie features a fictitious device called the bolt-gun. It fires bolts directly into rock, forgoing the rock-drilling and bolt-hammering necessary to establish a bolted rock-climbing route. The bolt-gun is usually cited as one of the film's most serious technical inaccuracies; it ignores material properties of rock that would cause the bolt-gun's impact site to shatter and explode with flaky projectiles. It is unlikely that the bolt could penetrate the rock without creating an opposing force large enough to severely injure or kill the bolt-gun operator. In climbing, a bolt is a permanent anchor fixed into a hole drilled in the rock, usually consisting of a glued in or expansion bolt to which a hanger is permanently fixed (allowing passing climbers to clip a carabiner to the bolt). ... Climbers on Valkyrie at the Roaches. ...

Production

Three writers claimed that Cliffhanger was their idea. To avoid jeopardizing the film's release, they were paid $250,000 each to drop the case.

The movie's most breathtaking scenes were shot in the Cortina d'Ampezzo area of the Dolomites, Italy. Cortina dAmpezzo is a town and municipality in the province of Belluno, Veneto, northern Italy. ... // The Dolomites (Italian: Dolomiti; German: Dolomiten; Friulian: Dolomitis) are a section of the Alps. ...

Cliffhanger is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the costliest aerial stunt ever performed. Stuntman Simon Crane was paid $1 million to perform the aerial transfer scene, where he crossed between two planes at an altitude of 4,572 m (15,000 ft). The Guinness Book of Records (or in recent editions Guinness World Records, and in previous US editions Guinness Book of World Records) is a book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of superlatives: both in terms of human achievement and the extrema of the natural world. ... An under 16s motorbike display team perform a potentially dangerous stunt Freestyle & Stunt Show 2007 - Landrévarzec A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat, or any act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes in TV, theatre or cinema. ... A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television (such as jumping out of a building, jumping from vehicle to vehicle, or other similar actions), and for other sophisticated stunts (especially fight scenes). ... Simon Crane is a British stuntman, stunt co-ordinator and second unit director. ...

Reception

The film was nominated for Worst Picture in the 1993 Golden Raspberry Awards and is generally disliked by rock climbers for its unrealistic portrayal of rock climbing. However the film was generally praised by critics, receiving a 76% on Rottentomatoes.com. The 14th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 20, 1994 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to recognise the worst the movie industry had to offer in 1993. ... Rock climbers on Valkyrie at The Roaches in Staffordshire, England. ... Rotten Tomatoes (http://www. ...

Cast

Sylvester Stallone (born Michael Enzio Sylvester Stallone on July 6, 1946 Died 20th September 2007 in accident, is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... John Arthur Lithgow (IPA: [ˈʤɔn ˈlɪθɡaʊ]) (born October 19, 1945) is an American actor perhaps best-known for his starring role as Dick Solomon in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun. ... Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955 in Jasper, Alabama) is an American actor. ... Janine Turner (born Janine Loraine Gauntt on December 6, 1962) is an American actress, known for her starring role on General Hospital from 1982 to 1983 and the prime time television show Northern Exposure from 1990 to 1995. ... Rex Maynard Linn was born November 13, 1956, in Ochiltree County, Texas, the third child of James Paul and Darlene (Deere) Linn. ... Caroline Goodall (born on 13 November 1959 in London, England) is an English actress. ... Leon Preston Robinson IV (born March 8, 1962) is an American actor and singer. ... Craig Fairbrass (born Stepney, London 1964) is an English actor. ... Denis Forest (5 September 1960 – 18 March 2002) was a Canadian character actor from Ottawa, Ontario. ... Max Perlich at the Hollywood premiere of New Lines Blow Character actor Max Perlich spent many years playing bit parts on television and in teen films such as Cant Buy Me Love (1987) and Lost Angels (1989); his roles usually were of the slacker or juvenile delinquent variety. ... Winfield as Captain Clark Terrell in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. ... Ralph Waite (born June 22, 1928 in White Plains, New York) is an American actor whose most famous role was John Walton Sr. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• Carolco had originally signed Sylvester Stallone to appear opposite John Candy in a comedy directed by John Hughes about feuding neighbors. When the project was dropped, Stallone was persuaded to appear in Cliffhanger.
• Carolco had originally signed Renny Harlin to direct Gale Force, a “Die Hard-in-a-Hurricane” action movie. The special effects proved too difficult at the time, so he was persuaded to direct Cliffhanger.
• The scene where Hal's girlfriend, Sarah, falls to her death, was spoofed in the movies Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Spy Hard.
• The film was originally rated NC-17 by the MPAA on account of its violence. Several short cuts were made to the bloody shootout at the beginning and to Travers' death; originally he was shot in the shoulder by the bolt gun, spins around and is blasted with the shotgun by Tucker, but this was changed to Walker firing the gun three times.
• For its British cinema release, the film was edited by one minute, then by a further twenty-five seconds on video and DVD. Chief victim was the scene where Delmar plays American football with Tucker's head. Other cuts included language and stronger moments of violence.
• The commercial success of the film was seen as Sylvester Stallone's "comeback" film, in that it reintroduced him as a box office action star, after having done some less than successful films. This was Sylvester's most successful film at the time until Rocky Balboa [2006], which made him even more successful in the box office stakes.
• The parachute that the basejumper opens, on his escape from the villains, features the design of the Finnish flag, Renny Harlin's native country (He features the Finnish flag in most of his movies).

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Carolco Pictures, Inc. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Michael Enzio Sylvester Stallone on July 6, 1946 Died 20th September 2007 in accident, is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian comedian and actor. ... For other people with this name, see John Hughes. ... Carolco Pictures, Inc. ... Renny Harlin (born Lauri Mauritz Harjola on March 15, 1959 in Riihimäki, Finland) is a film director and producer mostly known for action movies. ... This article is about the 1988 action film. ... This article is about weather phenomena. ... Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) is a movie made as a sequel to Ace Ventura, Pet Detective (1994). ... Spy Hard is a 1996 movie starring Leslie Nielsen, parodying James Bond films and other action films. ... The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is a non-profit trade association formed to advance the interests of movie studios. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ... Sylvester Stallone (born Michael Enzio Sylvester Stallone on July 6, 1946 Died 20th September 2007 in accident, is a two-time Academy Award-nominated American actor, director, producer and screenwriter. ... Rocky Balboa can refer to: Rocky Balboa (character), a fictional boxer and title character of the Rocky film series Rocky Balboa (film), the sixth installment in the aforementioned film series Category: ...

External links

• Cliffhanger at the Internet Movie Database
• Movie stills