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Cliffhanger
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
In the genre of "mindless action", "Cliffhanger" is definitely above average. Director Renny Harlin did fine work with this picture, but I think he's been improving since, with the recent "Deep Blue Sea" being a fine example of what an action picture like this should be. "Cliffhanger" has some spectacular action and stunts, but there are a few too many pauses here and there that could have been trimmed to pick up the pace even further.
The movie stars Sylvester Stallone as Gabe Walker, an ace mountain climber who comes back to visit his friends after a tragic incident forced him to leave. While he's there, the group recieves a distress call from what they think is a group of stranded climbers in the snow. It turns out to be a group of criminals who are stuck after their plane crashes during a midair robbery. The criminals are lead by Eric Qualan, played to evil perfection by John Lithgow("3rd Rock From The Sun"). The criminals need both Stallone and another climber, Tucker(Michael Rooker) to help them find the money they've lost in the mountains, as well as get out of the wilds.
The rest of the movie is a series of chase after chase up the mountain and quite frequently, down the mountain, with plenty of impressive stunts. Stallone's performance is solid, and easily one of his better performances in recent years, although "Daylight" wasn't too bad. Lithgow creates quite an impressive villian though and a solid opponent for Stallone. Obviously though, we know how the movie's going to end up. For those seeking a solid action thriller, "Cliffhanger" is definitely a good rental.
The DVD
VIDEO:
Although the usual transfer from Tristar is excellent, there are instances where they have created image quality that is nothing short of breathtaking, and "Cliffhanger" is certainly one of those instances. Images are wonderfully sharp and clear as glass, or in this case, the more appropriate term might be clear as ice. Detail is excellent, and I was consistently impressed by the consistent level of high quality. There's not too much in the way of colors, but what colors do make an appearance are natural and vivid. Flesh tones also are fine, looking natural and accurate. What few problems there are are absolutely not distracting - just one or two instances of shimmering. Nothing else - the print used is in excellent condition - no marks visible.
SOUND: While not as impressive as the audio for Stallone's "Daylight", "Cliffhanger" still sounds excellent once the action gets going, with some powerful explosions and constant gunfire. Surrounds are put into use frequently and all speakers work agressively during some of the more intense sequences. Even during some of the slower scenes, there are some nice subtle touches like the winds blowing through the mountains. Crystal clear sounding score and dialogue complete what is an enjoyably intense audio presentation.
MENUS:: As with most of the early menus from Columbia/Tristar, these are painfully basic, with just "buttons" to select for the various options.
EXTRAS: No extras. Not a thing.
Final Thoughts My advice - wait until the special edition, which is rumored to be in the works, is released.
In the genre of "mindless action", "Cliffhanger" is definitely above average. Director Renny Harlin did fine work with this picture, but I think he's been improving since, with the recent "Deep Blue Sea" being a fine example of what an action picture like this should be. "Cliffhanger" has some spectacular action and stunts, but there are a few too many pauses here and there that could have been trimmed to pick up the pace even further.
The movie stars Sylvester Stallone as Gabe Walker, an ace mountain climber who comes back to visit his friends after a tragic incident forced him to leave. While he's there, the group recieves a distress call from what they think is a group of stranded climbers in the snow. It turns out to be a group of criminals who are stuck after their plane crashes during a midair robbery. The criminals are lead by Eric Qualan, played to evil perfection by John Lithgow("3rd Rock From The Sun"). The criminals need both Stallone and another climber, Tucker(Michael Rooker) to help them find the money they've lost in the mountains, as well as get out of the wilds.
The rest of the movie is a series of chase after chase up the mountain and quite frequently, down the mountain, with plenty of impressive stunts. Stallone's performance is solid, and easily one of his better performances in recent years, although "Daylight" wasn't too bad. Lithgow creates quite an impressive villian though and a solid opponent for Stallone. Obviously though, we know how the movie's going to end up. For those seeking a solid action thriller, "Cliffhanger" is definitely a good rental.
The DVD
VIDEO:
Although the usual transfer from Tristar is excellent, there are instances where they have created image quality that is nothing short of breathtaking, and "Cliffhanger" is certainly one of those instances. Images are wonderfully sharp and clear as glass, or in this case, the more appropriate term might be clear as ice. Detail is excellent, and I was consistently impressed by the consistent level of high quality. There's not too much in the way of colors, but what colors do make an appearance are natural and vivid. Flesh tones also are fine, looking natural and accurate. What few problems there are are absolutely not distracting - just one or two instances of shimmering. Nothing else - the print used is in excellent condition - no marks visible.
SOUND: While not as impressive as the audio for Stallone's "Daylight", "Cliffhanger" still sounds excellent once the action gets going, with some powerful explosions and constant gunfire. Surrounds are put into use frequently and all speakers work agressively during some of the more intense sequences. Even during some of the slower scenes, there are some nice subtle touches like the winds blowing through the mountains. Crystal clear sounding score and dialogue complete what is an enjoyably intense audio presentation.
MENUS:: As with most of the early menus from Columbia/Tristar, these are painfully basic, with just "buttons" to select for the various options.
EXTRAS: No extras. Not a thing.
Final Thoughts My advice - wait until the special edition, which is rumored to be in the works, is released.
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