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The Summit

Play trailer Poster for The Summit R Released Oct 4, 2013 1h 42m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
67% Tomatometer 36 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
In August, 2008, 18 mountain climbers reached the top of K2. 48 hours later, 11 people were dead. While memorials paid tribute to those killed, there were also condemnations about 'the why.' Why do these athletes risk everything to reach a place humans are simply not meant to go? With breathtaking cinematography and jaw dropping reenactments based on the testimony of those who survived the climb, this thrilling film is about the very nature of adventure in the modern world.

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The Summit

The Summit

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Critics Consensus

While it could use more clarity than director Nick Ryan brings to bear, the real-life story behind The Summit still makes for compelling viewing.

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Critics Reviews

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Donald Clarke Irish Times Visually impressive and well-researched, The Summit certainly stirs up the terror and mystery that attended that disastrous weekend. Rated: 3/5 Nov 27, 2013 Full Review Radheyan Simonpillai NOW Toronto The Summit picked up an editing prize at Sundance, which you can only surmise was awarded because the film does a fine job of leaving you as confused as the people on K2. Rated: 2/5 Oct 25, 2013 Full Review Linda Barnard Toronto Star The subject is fascinating and the cinematic punch afforded by peaks so massive, inspiring with their terrible beauty is a filmmaker's dream. Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 24, 2013 Full Review Allen Almachar The MacGuffin It's a cautionary tale, where the slightest mistake could have tremendous consequences. Rated: B Jul 23, 2020 Full Review Bernard Boo Way Too Indie The constant bombardment of facts, opinions, and time jumps is a lot to digest, causing a lot of the emotional bits to slip through the cracks. Rated: 6.7/10 Apr 11, 2019 Full Review Dan Schindel Nonfics (Substack) Structurally confused and suspect in its depiction of the events. Bad taste and poor decisions waylay any attempt at emotion. Rated: 1/5 May 30, 2014 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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juno j Was this disjointed, frustrating, and confusing film edited at altitude? Visually it is masterful. Dramatic recreations blend almost seamlessly with actual footage, but in terms of narrative, it leaves the audience as confused as the climbers seemed to be that day, minus the emotional impact that would honor those who died. Eleven climbers died that day, and unfortunately this documentary does nothing to help the audience connect with most of them. This film follows multiple storylines: climbers unexpectedly falling down steep slopes, an Italian climber who didn’t get credit for the first summit, an Irish climber whose relatives want answers, an inexplicable decision to summit far too late in the day, a Scandinavian climber whose fiancée discusses what happened that day, a problem with the fixed ropes that led to a bottleneck, and three Korean climbers who are never even named— they are simply called “the Koreans.” Survivors recount their ordeal with surprisingly little emotion. Several deaths are shown in an abrupt manner with no lead up to let us get to know these people, and no emotional reaction from anyone. Two of the lost climbers are dwelled upon at length by loved ones, but unfortunately the editing does not help the audience connect with these people. And the callous disregard for the individuality of the Korean climbers is offensive. It seems overly ambitious to weave such disparate stories and interviews lacking emotion without a narrator to help pull the threads together. Sadly, the tragic losses of that day remain as distant for viewers as the summit. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/26/25 Full Review Sam's Emergency V Super Boring & Very Uninteresting Movie. All The Scenes Had Nothing Exciting Happen + Don't Recommend Anyone To Watch This. Absolutely Hate It Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/24/24 Full Review Benjamin H Although there may be too much talking and a bit of direction issues, The Summit makes up for this by retelling the tragic 2008 accident on the Savage Mountain with both knowledge of the incident but by also blending in intrigue and emotion which truly captures this horrific accident wonderfully on the big screen. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/09/22 Full Review Audience Member Solid doc on the K2 tragedy from 2008 where 11 climbers died in a single day. The film intertwines actual and dramatization footage, but slowly reveals a divided climate between the various groups of nationalities without anyone ever really accepting any accountability including one of the team leaders and key rescuers. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/27/20 Full Review Audience Member Although there may be too much talking and a bit of direction issues, The Summit makes up for this by retelling the tragic 2008 accident on the Savage Mountain with both knowledge of the incident but by also blending in intrigue and emotion which truly captures this horrific accident wonderfully on the big screen. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review andy f This documentary reconstruction is as difficult as you'd expect. At times confusing, the uniqueness of this mountaineering film is the differing recollections of the participants. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Summit

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Movie Info

Synopsis In August, 2008, 18 mountain climbers reached the top of K2. 48 hours later, 11 people were dead. While memorials paid tribute to those killed, there were also condemnations about 'the why.' Why do these athletes risk everything to reach a place humans are simply not meant to go? With breathtaking cinematography and jaw dropping reenactments based on the testimony of those who survived the climb, this thrilling film is about the very nature of adventure in the modern world.
Director
Nick Ryan
Producer
Nick Ryan
Screenwriter
Mark Monroe
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Passion Pictures, Fantastic Films, Diamond Docs
Rating
R (Some Language)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 4, 2013, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$218.5K
Runtime
1h 42m
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