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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
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
68% Tomatometer 56 Reviews 52% 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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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 Jesus The first 10 to 15 minutes were good then the movie went somewhere I didn't expect it to go. Then it got better again but then got dull. It passed the time but not a great movie. It's not good, it's not bad, it's just Meh. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/04/24 Full Review Blu B Man after the opening 10 minutes which is really good it slowly just falls off. The pacing & editing is just ok and really is the main culprit of the problems here. The first half is significantly better than the second which just devolves into over the top action and it can feel like over the top action just happens. The first half the cracks show with the jumping between Stallone's character and the heist plot which feels like two completely different films. But once it comes together and they become divided up going after Stallone it just doesn't really recover. Renny Hamlin does a decent job with everything else though and keeps it going just enough to where it's passable. There are some amazing shots and special effects in this. However there is so many over the top action scenes in this that really weighs things down and gets rid of any suspense for dumb action. Same thing with the acting also which is better in the first half which has more character development. The bad guys are forgettable and become less smart and sinister and more and more like cartoonish bad guys with over the top acting and actions at times.Everyone does these weird random screaming freakouts out of nowhere at times which is laughable. The music also is stronger in the first half and just becomes forgettable eventually which is odd. It limps to the finish line eventually. This needed to find a better way to setup the heist plot and Stallone's character despite the awesome opening. Unless your a die hard Stallone or Hiking/Climbing fan skip this. It's a shame because it starts out soooo promising. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/10/24 Full Review Dean B Slightly underrated film. This film was well rounded so to speak. Suspenseful. The scenery was fantastic. The storyline and characters were all very good, albeit the very first scene which was over the top Suspenseful, no pun intended. Their are certain scenes in movies that are so well done, you wonder if it'd be best to leave them out. Very good movie however, a rare staple for Stallone. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/04/24 Full Review Jeremy H Watched it for the first time tonight. I remember when it was first released in the theaters. I imagine at the time of its release it was very exciting to watch. This is the type of film I could totally see being remade. John Lithgow as a villain… 👍 Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Cliffhanger

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Cast & Crew

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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