A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.
- Nominated for 3 Oscars
- 1 win & 12 nominations total
Don S. Davis
- Stuart
- (as Don Davis)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the costliest aerial stunt ever performed. Stuntman Simon Crane was paid $1 million to cross once between two planes at fifteen thousand feet, without the aid of any safety devices or trick photography. The insurance company refused to insure a stuntman for this, so Sylvester Stallone offered to reduce his own fee for the movie by the amount that the stunt cost to produce, in order that the film could be made. The stunt was filmed in the United States, as such a stunt is illegal in Europe, where most of the film was shot. Crane couldn't actually get inside the second plane, but good editing gives the appearance that he does.
- Goofs(at around 30 mins) The plane crashes in the mountains, and appears to have stopped half way off a cliff. When people leave the plane, the plane is fully on the ground.
- Quotes
Hal Tucker: Delmar, from me to you, you're an asshole.
Delmar: Yeah? And you're a loud-mouth punk slag, who's about to die.
Hal Tucker: Maybe. But in a minute I'll be dead, and you, will always be an asshole. So Go Ahead And Shoot
[mockingly]
Hal Tucker: I'm Getting Cold... SHOOT
Delmar: [grabs Hal by the collar...] Who's Shooting?
[and head-butts him]
- Crazy creditsEnd credits include a message which explains that the Black Diamond harness used in the opening scene was specially modified so that it would fail.
- Alternate versionsBritish cinema and video versions were edited for violence to achieve a 15 certificate with the video/DVD versions being more extensively cut by the BBFC (losing 1 minute 24 secs in total). Most of the cuts were made to punches and kicks during the fight scenes although the underwater shooting scene was also considerably altered (the uncut version shows Travers being hit by Stallone's pitons). The complete version has been broadcast on Sky's movie channels. The cuts were fully restored in the 2008 Optimum DVD release.
- ConnectionsEdited from Scream of Stone (1991)
Featured review
Cliffhanger is a decent action crime adventure with some flaws from director Renny Harlin whose admirable in making this movie about an expert climber who finds himself taken hostage with a fellow friend by a gang of dangerous criminals on the search for suit cases full of stolen cash in the Rocky Mountains. Sylvester Stallone is impressive as Gabe Walker the expert climber especially in the action/fight sequences but some of them definitely border on the line of unrealistic. For the sake of the film though I willing to suspend my disbelief. The rest of the cast including John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner, Rex Linn, Caroline Goodall, and Leon are respectable as the supporting characters in the movie. The action/fight sequences are well executed but as mentioned before some aren't very realistic no matter how tough you are. The climbing sequences however are very well done because instead of doing the whole film in a studio somewhere the locations they chose felt very real and the Ariel views of the mountain ranges are marvelous adding a touch of reality to the movie. The deaths are inventive while others are sort of predictable. The villains are solid but it would've been better if they had focused on a more central one instead of having many of them. The pacing of the movie was a little slow but the good outweighs the bad in this one. If you're a big fan of Harlins or Stallone's than chances are you'll enjoy this one too. Overall Cliffhanger has character development with enough action, drama, some suspense, excitement, thrills, and good performances by the cast who make this movie worth the time to watch.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Cheo Leo Vách Núi
- Filming locations
- Monte Lagazuoi, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Belluno, Veneto, Italy(footbridge scenes, and final scenes with the helicopter fight)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $70,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $84,049,211
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $16,176,967
- May 30, 1993
- Gross worldwide
- $255,000,211
- Runtime1 hour 53 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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