Cliffhanger

Rating:
Summary: My mistake on menu
Review: My error on review below. I did not know how to obtain the disk menu. This is a great movie and the sound (once you understand the quirks of your DVD player) is excellent in 5.1!!! But then we country folk are slow learners.

Rating:
Summary: No DVD menu available
Review: Picture quality good but the case advertises 5.1 sound and only delivers Pro-logic. My copy would not locate any DVD menu. The disc offers two viewing formats (one on each side of the disc.)

Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE ALL-TIME BEST NONSTOP ACTION PACKED MOVIES!!
Review: Really, this is a GREAT movie, though not for the faint of heart. Stallone is, well, Stallone in his prime..ripling muscles and rock solid grit. The real gem performance is turned in by John Lithgow, who is the best darn evil villain I have ever seen on film. Lithgow, now known for the comedy "Third Rock..." is quite the composite of ultimate evil. Great movie for a boring rainy or snowy day, but not really one to view with the young ones. Teens are probably OK with this film but the magnitude of the violence is pretty high, though the blood, guts and gore are about average. I have owned this movie for years and it is definitely on my MUST OWN list.

Rating:
Summary: Cliffhanger
Review: Renny Harlin's action flick Cliffhanger is an exciting adrenalin-pumping ride. And while it could be described as "Die Hard on a Mountain", it's still exhilarating fun that's one of Stallone's best films.

John Lithgow is the movie's main villain, and he works his stuff to great effect, and set up against Stallone's he-man heroics, the two are both tremendous. And the action ante is set up far more than other Die Hard rip-offs such as Executive Decision. Renny Harlin's direction makes the film's tendencies toward brutal violence get rather extreme at times, and to see Stallone manage to beat the meatloaf out of the bad guys after getting wasted is sometimes beyond believable, but as the DVD's deleted scenes show, they actually toned down the film's superman-like qualities to good effect.

Action aside, the plot is silly at times and some of the characters are taken straight from the big book of bad movie stereotypes. But Stallone's devotees don't care, as this film can be seen now as nostalgic after seeing the big guy's recent flop movies (Get Carter). And Harlin, from Die Hard 2 fame, brings much of the same cool action and stunts, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Action at it's most outrageous (Except maybe for Face Off).

Rating:
Summary: A Guilty Pleasure
Review: Since I am writing this review, I am also publicly confessing to having spent two hours watching Cliffhanger. After this, nothing I suffer in life can be a humiliation.

This movie received four Razzie nominations: Worst picture of the year, worst screenplay (Sylvester Stallone), worst supporting actress (Janine Turner) and worst supporting actor (John Lithgow). There are a couple of injustices here: Stallone was denied his rightful, annual Razzie nomination for worst actor. The jury must have been stacked with Stallone fans that year. And I enjoyed Lithgow's over-the-top turn as the leader of the crooks.

But you can't argue with Janine Turner's (Northern Exposure) nomination: I could have given a better and sexier performance as a female, in spite of being a bit, shall we say, well-nourished, and having a mustache.

This movie made a ton of money, which also makes sense. It's entertaining. Director Renny Harlin knows how to make action thrillers. In this one, the Treasury Department is transporting over $150 million in $1000 bills by jet; a band of crooks aims to rob the couriers. The money ends up on the snowy side of a mountain, so the crooks kidnap world-class mountain rescue experts Sylvester Stallone and Michael Rooker, to track it down.

Norman Kent and Alex Thomson's cinematography is breathtaking, the stunts are truly death-defying, and some of the actors are good, most notably Rooker, Ralph Waite (as a rescuer), Lithgow and Rex Linn (as a treasury agent).

Since we live in a therapeutic society, I can't take responsibility for my actions -- it was all my 3-year-old son's fault. The movie came on late at night, after he had woken up (and while I was supposed to be working), and he insisted we see it together. It turns out, his judgment was excellent, as Cliffhanger is perfectly suited for the sensibility of a three-year-old boy.

In case you have too much money on your hands, you can order this from Amazon. If your neighbors see you taking the video package from your mailbox, you can just say, "Oh, I thought I'd finally give Gone with the Wind a shot."

Should you decide, instead, to rent Cliffhanger from a video store, you might try a trench coat, dark glasses, and a hat pulled down low on your face. Or as with other pornographic films, you could say to yourself, "What the hell, my neighbors are buying the same trash," and go in as you are.

The Critical Critic, March 6, 2004.

Rating:
Summary: Sly Stallone in Another of the Greatest Action Movies Ever.
Review: Sly gives one of his Best Performances in Years and John Lithgow adds another Brilliant Psycho to his Resume in Cliffhanger, an Edge-of-your-Seat Thrill ride that keeps the Thrills coming from Minute One.

The Story and Screenplay are Inspired, retaining Realism, Credibility and Character without Sacrificing Action, Spectacle or Over-the-Top Thrills.

Renny Harlin's Direction is Top-Drawer, he coaxes Wonderful Performances from the Leads and the Supporting Cast. Michael Rooker and Leon are Standouts. Sly Carries the film with a Caring and Emotional Performance, and John Lithgow proves again that he is the world's Greatest Over-Actor (that comment is meant in a Good way). Like "Raising Cain" and "3rd Rock from the Sun", Lithgow is given a Long Leash in his Interpretation, his performance is Utterly Original while remaining an Old Fashioned Hiss-able Villain.

Rating:
Summary: See above
Review: Sorry, posted this review more than once by accident. See above

Rating:
Summary: Great Supplemental Materials
Review: Sure, the diaglogue is exceedingly bad, but this is a fun and exciting action movie nonetheless. You don't have to be a Stallone fan to enjoy this-- it's head-and-shoulders above much of his filmography.

The Collector's Edition DVD is packed with features. There are two commentary tracks that are informative as well as entertaining (Stallone himself provides commentary along with director Renny Harlin on one track). There is a 20 minute behind-the-scenes program, as well as some deleted sequences and quite a bit more.

Rating:
Summary: Cliffhanger won't leave you hanging
Review: Sylvester Stallone and John Lithgow star in this exciting adventure with great cinematography and special effects. Gabe Walker (Sylvester Stallone) is an experienced mountain rescue worker trying to retrieve some money that was stolen from the U.S. Treasury. To drive him to catch the thieves even more, they kidnap one of his best friends. Mr. Walker has to find a way to get the money back while also saving his friend's, and his own life.

I like just about all of Sylvester Stallone's movies, but "Cliffhanger" is one of my favorites because it has cool scenery and some of the best special effects. I thought the part where Stallone is underwater while one of the bad guys are watching him from above the frozen surface was one of the best parts. The ending sequence is also well done. John Lithgow puts on a spectacular performance as the main enemy. If you like action movies with great effects and a lot of suspense, I recommend getting "Cliffhanger."

Rating:
Summary: It is a Sylvester Stallone's show.
Review: Sylvester Stallone turned upside down did show aging effect on his body.

Yet, his meticulous touches in face actions were still near perfecto. Bravo, if Sylvester Stallone could still do one movie like that, the audience will be lucky.

Without Sylvester Stallone to be there, the show might be only worth watching for the fall of Sarah and the concentrated focus of Jessica in rescuing. But even those, anybody can do the work.

Sylvester Stallone chose a tough career. Acting is a fun but difficult living. This actor must love acting. The real sense of relieving from acting is again viewed in his final note where he held Jessica but showing all the signs ready to move on to either the reality of the life or to another acting role.