On C List of Movie Reviews
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Cliffhanger (1993)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
1/04, 11/07, 8/15
11/07:
Cliffhanger is a good example of an action flick that depends on the lead star to make it work.
Oh, my...the logic errors, so where to start?
1. The introduction gets my vote as the most memorable, but it invites many questions. What is the girl doing there? For
a rookie climber, how did she make it up that high? Why can't they use the winch that's attached to the helicopter to lift her
up from there? Do they have to cross over between two peaks via steel cable? How can Gabe Walker, with all of his muscles,
not hold on to the girl longer?
2. Gabe wears a T-shirt in the middle of the mountains in sub-freezing weather, and he only needs a thin long-sleeved sweater
to be warm within minutes.
3. I don't care how muscular anyone is; he's not going to be able to climb the rocks for a long period of time.
Bulking up is a waste of oxygen which quickly leads to forearm pump.
4. When the two dudes base-jumped off the cliff, the subsequent cutaway shot looked like they just came out of an airplane.
5. During the night scenes, why are there searchlights in the middle of the mountain?
6. How can Gabe catch the rabbit before fitting it with a tracking device? Do you have any idea how damn fast rabbits are?
According to IMDb: "Sneak-preview audiences saw a scene where a rabbit gets killed by gunfire. Their reaction was strong
enough for Sylvester Stallone to invest $100,000 of his own money to have the scene re-shot so that the rabbit escaped."
7. Gabe goes underneath the ice and then comes out of it ten minutes later. Completely dry down to his hair, he's never
shivering or beset by the effects of being soaked in sub-freezing water. In reality, it should've shocked him to the core,
enough to induce hypothermia.
8. At the end, Qualen, pointing his gun at Jessie while he's manning the helicopter which requires two hands at all times,
orders her to surrender with hands up. How does he do both at the same time? She can run away from him because he still
has to find somewhere to land the helicopter.
9. Remember the scene when Gabe jumped in the air across the gorge? Impossible.
10. When Walker tripped over the booby wire while walking over the bridge, it should've blown up immediately.
Regardless, it's an entertaining action flick. Some of the stunts, including the plane-to-plane transfer, are
breathtaking. So is the mountainous setting which was shot on location in Italy, not Colorado. Sylvester Stallone is excellent
as the lead star as he provides a lot of excitement.
All in all, Cliffhanger is a fun picture.
8/15:
Back then, I would watch Stallone pictures at the movie theatre as long as there was plenty of action, and Cliffhanger
was among them.
It's still a great movie. Believe me, I can point out a lot of logic errors throughout the film, but the action is amazing,
enough to overcome the negatives.
If there's anything memorable, it's the introduction when Sarah met her fate in a spectacular fall which
is breathtaking to watch. Sylvester Stallone has so many great scenes that they're worth the price of admission. Hence,
the movie was a box-office hit, thanks to the potential viewers having been sold by the trailer.
All in all, Cliffhanger is one of those movies I can watch over and over.