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Cliffhanger

Play trailer 1:56 Poster for Cliffhanger R Released May 28, 1993 1h 52m Action Adventure Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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68% Tomatometer 56 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Outdoor thriller in which a former mountain rescuer is pitted against a group of criminals who have lost their $100 million stash during a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains. After being persuaded to help rescue a group of stranded hikers, he discovers that they are in fact a gang of violent robbers who need help to locate their missing loot.
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Cliffhanger

Cliffhanger

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Critics Consensus

While it can't escape comparisons to the movies it borrows from, Cliffhanger is a tense, action-packed thriller and a showcase for the talents that made Sylvester Stallone a star.

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Critics Reviews

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David Ansen Newsweek Cliffhanger does its damnedest to see that the audience gets its money's worth of thrills. But for all the state-of-the-art stunt work, the movie has little personality; it's ice cream without flavor. Apr 10, 2018 Full Review Christopher Harris Globe and Mail it has truly awe-inspiring stunts and special effects and many of its suspense sequences will leave you with your heart in your mouth. Rated: 3/4 Aug 3, 2013 Full Review Jeff Shannon Seattle Times The fact that so much money was lavished on such a thick-headed project represents the height of fiscal ineptitude, but this is the kind of roller-coaster ride for which eager audiences will gladly check their brains at the turnstiles, so go figure. Rated: 2/4 Aug 3, 2013 Full Review Patrick Hicks Feelin' Film Podcast Big alpine action with megastar Sylvester Stallone taking on dual thieving villains in a treacherous mountain setting makes this a defining 90s movie thriller, full of quotable one-liners and memorable set pieces and kills. Rated: 4/5 Jan 8, 2024 Full Review Fedor Tot Vague Visages What I would give for more films with Cliffhanger’s sense of scale and spectacle. Jun 13, 2023 Full Review Alistair Lawrence Common Sense Media The main thing that lets Cliffhanger down is a plot as thin as the high-altitude air that surrounds it. Rated: 2/5 Jun 9, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jacob B Yeah, Die Hard 2 and The Long Kiss Goodnight were better entries in Renny Harlin's filmography than Cliffhanger. Cliffhanger isn't a bad movie, I was just expecting Harlin to have knocked this film out of the park the same way Jan de Bont would do with Speed a year later. On the other hand, a Razzie nomination for Worst Picture was a bit much when this wasn't even critically lambasted to begin with. Cliffhanger certainly has its thrilling moments, surprisingly good score, entertaining villains and mostly good performances all around (wait, GOTG Vol. 2 was a REUNION for Stallone and Michael Rooker?) but it also has some ludicrous moments such as Stallone not being affected by hypothermia + implausible stuntwork, some unintentionally hilarious moments such as in that harrowing prologue when this old guy looks like he's smiling and we, the viewers, can blatantly see it, taking us out of the moment and probably peaking too early. I find it ironic that the best moments from the film are the scene set before the plot kicks off and, when it does get going, doesn't have Stallone or anybody he has a personal connection to involved. The latter has that iconic stunt but there's also the way one character goes out like a boss and is pretty much the instigator of the villains' impending doom. While the rest of the movie does have moments that are either awesome or funny, it never quite reaches the same heights as those scenes did. Not bad for a more altitude-focused Die Hard clone but given the choice between the two, I'd take Speed in a heartbeat. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/28/25 Full Review Shaun R Entertaining 90s action with some memorable scenes. One of the better actions of that era. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/08/25 Full Review Alec B Enormously silly but very entertaining. We forget that there was a time when Renny Harlin's maximalist approach to action movies yielded good results. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/04/25 Full Review thiago s Filme bacana, o roteiro é bacaninha, as cenas até que foram bacaninhas, o elenco até que é bacaninha e ajuda a melhorar um pouco o filme, mas a história do stallone ser um alpinista e as cenas serem nas montanhas fez o filme ficar um pouco fraco, akgumas cenas até deram uma salvada no filme. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 03/01/25 Full Review Craig B One of the best action movies of all time. Lithgow plays a classic villain. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/09/24 Full Review Jerod S Decent idea, but corny lines and Lithgow as the bad guy can't surmount Stalone hanging on the cliffside. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/14/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Cliffhanger

Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Epic Cave Fight Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Epic Cave Fight 2:46 Cliffhanger: Official Clip - John Lithgow’s Got a Bomb Cliffhanger: Official Clip - John Lithgow’s Got a Bomb 2:59 Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Death Drop Opening Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Death Drop Opening 3:11 Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Real Love is Sacrifice Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Real Love is Sacrifice 2:08 Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Beating the Hell out of Michael Rooker Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Beating the Hell out of Michael Rooker 2:25 Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Sylvester Stallone & John Lithgow Helicopter Fight Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Sylvester Stallone & John Lithgow Helicopter Fight 3:06 Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Badass Frozen Bridge Fight Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Badass Frozen Bridge Fight 3:08 Cliffhanger: Official Clip - The Terrorists' Plane Crashes Cliffhanger: Official Clip - The Terrorists' Plane Crashes 3:33 Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Brutal Night Vision Fight Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Brutal Night Vision Fight 1:52 Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Shooting the Teenagers Cliffhanger: Official Clip - Shooting the Teenagers 2:31 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Outdoor thriller in which a former mountain rescuer is pitted against a group of criminals who have lost their $100 million stash during a plane crash in the Rocky Mountains. After being persuaded to help rescue a group of stranded hikers, he discovers that they are in fact a gang of violent robbers who need help to locate their missing loot.
Director
Renny Harlin
Producer
Alan Marshall, Renny Harlin
Screenwriter
Michael France, Sylvester Stallone
Distributor
TriStar Pictures
Production Co
Canal+, Carolco Pictures Inc.
Rating
R
Genre
Action, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 28, 1993, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
May 8, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$80.5M
Runtime
1h 52m
Sound Mix
Surround
Aspect Ratio
Digital 2.39:1
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