Cliffhanger (1993)

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers (WGA):

John Long (premise)
Michael France (screen story)

Release Date:

28 May 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

Hang on!

Plot:

A botched mid-air heist results in suitcases full of cash being searched for by various groups throughout the Rocky Mountains.

Plot Keywords:

Money | Mountain | Rockies | Suitcase | Climbing

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Tue. Dec. 29	12:00 AM	FX
Tue. Dec. 29	8:00 AM	FX

Cast

Sylvester Stallone	...	Gabe Walker
John Lithgow	...	Qualen
Michael Rooker	...	Hal Tucker
Janine Turner	...	Jessie Deighan
Rex Linn	...	Travers
Caroline Goodall	...	Kristel
Leon	...	Kynette
Craig Fairbrass	...	Delmar
Gregory Scott Cummins	...	Ryan
Denis Forest	...	Heldon
Michelle Joyner	...	Sarah
Max Perlich	...	Evan
Paul Winfield	...	Walter Wright
Ralph Waite	...	Frank
Trey Brownell	...	Brett

Also Known As:

Cliffhanger - l'ultima sfida (Italy)
Cliffhanger, traque au sommet (France)
Cliffhanger - Nur die Starken überleben (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Скалолаз (Russia) [ru]
Alpinista (Serbia) [sr]
Assalto Infernal (Portugal) [pt]
Cliffhanger (Czech Republic) [cs]
Cliffhanger - Függö játszma (Hungary) [hu]
Cliffhanger - Svindlande avgrund (Sweden) [sv]
Cliffhanger - kuilun partaalla (Finland) [fi]
La falaise de la mort (Canada: French title) [fr]
Màxim risc (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Máximo riesgo (Spain) [es]
Mtamsvleli (Georgia) [ka]
Na krawedzi (Poland) [pl]
Plezalec (Slovenia) [sl]
Riesgo total (Venezuela) [es]
Risco Total (Brazil) [pt]
Sihrur Mesukun (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Varometriko hamilo (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence and language.

Runtime:

113 min | UK:112 min

Country:

Italy | France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby Digital (35 mm prints) (Europe) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints) (USA)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-18 (original rating) | New Zealand:R16 | South Korea:12 | Philippines:R-18 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Norway:15 (cut theatrical version) | Norway:18 (uncut) | UK:15 (uncut version, re-rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | UK:15 (cut) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Carolco Pictures

Trivia:

The two-story high cliff built for the climactic battle sequence burned to the ground completely in eight minutes when the miniature helicopter explosion got out of control. The heat of the fire was so intense it melted one of the cameras.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Travers is the one who insists they search for the money, because he claims they'll need as much as they can get to buy they're way out of the country. But later in the film, when the latest case is atop one of the peaks, he changes his mind, contradicting himself.

Quotes:

Eric Qualen: Love is a killer, isn't it?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009) (VG)

Soundtrack:

DO YOU NEED SOME?

The majestic mountains are a magnificent character in the film!

Wracked with guilt after a lot of things felt apart on that ledge, an ace mountain rescue climber Gabriel Walker (Stallone) comes back for his girlfriend Jessie (Janine Turner), while over the cloudy skies where the weather looks a bit threatening, a spectacularly precarious mid-air hijacking goes wrong and $100 million taken from a Treasury Department plane get lost in the middle of nowhere followed by a crash landing…

Stranded off the snowy peaks, and needing mountain guides to win back the stolen cash, the high-trained hikers make an emergency call asking the help of a rescue unit…

Unfortunately, Gab and Hall (Michael Rooker) have to team up to arrive at the scene of the crash unaware that the distress call was a fake, and a bunch of merciless terrorists led by a psychotic (John Lithgow),are waiting for them only to find out a way off the stormy mountain with the dumped cases of money…

With breathtaking shots, vertiginous scenery, dizzying heights, perilous climbs, freezing temperatures, "Cliffhanger" is definitely Stallone's best action adventure movie…