A 1990's action film that doesn't really hold up despite it being a commercial success. Cliffhanger is all about Sylvester Stallone in another action film which has lots of call backs to Die Hard and First Blood.
Stallone is a mountain climber rescue guy who scurries around the Rocky Mountains in shorts and a tank top in the dead of winter. Stallone and his mountain climber buddies happen to get involved with a gang of thieves who have just done a midair heist of three suitcases full of money that ends up falling out of their airplane. The gang forces Stallone and his mountain climbing friends to help them find the money which is lost somewhere in the mountains.
The main really evil bad guy is played by John Lithgow in yet another evil bad guy role who is such a psychotic nutcase it's a wonder he is even able to recruit guys to work in his gang. When they piss him off he shoots them, this includes his girlfriend.
Unfortunately for Lithgow, Stallone escapes and now is in hot pursuit of this bunch. Apparently there was no thought given of going to the police for help. Then again it wouldn't be a Stallone action movie if the police just showed up and arrested everybody. We would miss Stallone throwing guys over mountain cliffs, impaling them on stalactites or leaping between mountains like he is Superman.
Lots of the mountain climbing scenes were the real thing and the scenery of the Italian Alps which for some reason were used instead of the Rocky Mountains is impressive. The rest of the cast is a combination of character and TV actors who don't leave much of an impression. Overall a very dumb story but with some decent action and climbing scenes.
The film was written by Stallone and Michael France, the running time is 113 minutes.
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