Blu-ray review: Cliffhanger [1993]
Reviewed by Johnny McNair
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment – 113 mins – 1993 – Rated R – 1080p Widescreen 2.35: 1 – DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio
Way back in the early 90’s, Sylvester Stallone had fallen from grace as the king of the action film genre and was reduced to doing lame un-funny comedies like Oscar and Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot. He was desperately trying to shake himself out of the shadows of Rocky and Rambo, but nothing else seemed to click. But in 1993 Stallone made a comeback in what is still one of his best action films to date, Cliffhanger. The gimmick that makes this film work is that Stallone never even fires a gun in this film, but it still delivers as much action as Rambo. Cliffhanger debuts on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures, so buckle up and keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times, because this is one hell of a ride.
THE MOVIE
Right from the start the movie does the smart thing by stripping Stallone of his superhero persona, and shows him failing to save a life. Playing Gabe Walker, a Colorado rescue worker who dangerously climbs the snow-capped rocky (no pun intended) terrain, he has disappeared for nearly a year after his failure of not being able to rescue the girlfriend of his close friend Hal (Michael Rooker). He hopes to re-spark the romance with his ex-girlfriend Jessie (Janine Turner) who he left behind, but she wants nothing to do with him for abandoning her and his responsibility. Basically, no one wants anything to do with Gabe, and his pushes himself more into the darkness of self-pity.
Things quickly change when a distress call is made to the rescue station involving a pack of climbers who are lost in the mountains. Gabe decides to join in and help, but what they don’t realize is that they’re being set-up by an international criminal named Eric Qualen (John Lithgow) who has attempted to steal millions from the Treasury Department, but his plan was foiled when the plane he and his team hijacked crashes in the Rockies, and three cases packed with cash have been lost in the vicinity of the crash zone. Qualen wants those cases of money retrieved and holds Jessie hostage as he send Gabe and Hal to find them. Gabe, Hal and Jessie who know the terrain better must find away to stay alive and defeat Qualen before their time runs out.
Directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, The Long Kiss Goodnight), Cliffhanger is a tour de force thrill ride that will keep your adrenaline pumping from start to finish. The best thing about the film is that it knows what it wants to do, it’s not about character development, twisting plotline, or a message, it’s about how many kick-ass action sequences you can get away with in a two hour window. Stallone is running around in artic temperatures in a T-shirt as he climbs mountains with his bare hands, swings from mountain formations, and makes leaps that only the Hulk could pull off, and you totally buy it because it’s packaged so well.
For its time, Cliffhanger had some of the best and unique action sequences on film, with stunts you would normally see in a James Bond film. Director Harlin has fallen through the cracks of the Hollywood game now, but some of the stuff he did with Cliffhanger is still being copied today. And Stallone was out to prove himself here and make his fans forget about Stop, Or My Mom Will Shoot, do stuff that would make Jackie Chan take notes. He is completely at the top of his game. Stallone is not a cop or a soldier, so he never uses a gun, which allows for clever ways to be introduced to eliminate the bad guys. Unlike Rambo, Gabe Walker uses his head instead of an arsenal of weapons, making you more involved with the character’s goal.
Even non-Stallone fans will like this film, because you get more wrapped up in the ride, rather than just waiting to see how he will kill someone like Rambo does. This was still the dawn of CG effects, so even though there are blue screen moments, most of the stuff you’re seeing is pure stunts by real stuntmen, not some character programmed in a computer. (I miss those days). Being that Stallone loves sequels so much and this film was a huge success, it’s odd that he never ventured to make another Gabe Walker adventure. Too bad, because this is one of his best films, and one day when Stallone is really way too old to lace up the boxing gloves, or tie a bandana around his head and pick up an M-60, he can sit in his rocking chair, watch Cliffhanger and say “wow.”
VIDEO
Cliffhanger comes to Blu-ray in 1080p with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and though it’s a step up from the DVD, it will not jump off the screen, as you’d expect a film of this size to. If this were a film made within the last three years it would have looked spectacular, but being that this is a 17 year old catalogue title that has already seen the light of day on VHS, Lazer Disc, and DVD, besides a basic upgrade not much else has been done to make it glam. The colors are decent, but seem faded in spots, and the sharpness is just satisfactory. Grain rains on this image heavy, particularly in the nigh scenes. Films much older than Cliffhanger have been cleaned up to perfection, so shame on Sony for not going the extra mile. Overall, if you plan on replacing your DVD it is a step up, but nothing major.
AUDIO
Unlike the video, plenty of work went into the audio, and if you have a surround sound system you will love the experience. Offering a Dolby 5.1 DTS-HD track Cliffhanger draws you in right from the opening scene. Just listen to the cables popping as Stallone is attempting to rescue the falling woman who is struggling to grab his hand. Or the bats that swoop around as the heroes attempt to escape through the mountain caves…Sweet. Dialogue is crisp, but this is not the type of film you watch for quotable lines; you want to hear a helicopter slamming against the face of a mountain, gunfire, a plane crash, an avalanche, and constant explosions. On this level the sound design of Cliffhanger deleivers.
EXTRAS
All of the bonus features that were present on the DVD have been ported over to the Blu-ray, but the only nice touch is that the amazing trailer for this film has been bumped up to HD. It would have been nice if Stalllone and Harlin sat down to do a new interview talking about the film, but you can’t have everything.
There are two audio commentary tracks, one from Director Renny Harlin with a cameo from Stallone himself. Harlin’s track is actually really good and he goes into plenty of details about making the film, not just on-the-set tales that no one cares about. If you enjoyed this film than the commentary track compliments it. The second audio track features the films production designer John Vallone, editor Frank Urioste, and effects supervisors John Bruno and Neil Krepela. This track is a little on the dull side and very outdated because of the current tech we have now.
There are 8 minutes of deleted scenes, which are actually more extensions of existing scenes.
Director Renny Harlin offers a five-minute personal introduction, discussing the origin and production of Cliffhanger in a nutshell.
Stallone on the Edge: The Making of Cliffhanger is a twenty-minute featurette that resembles something from Entertainment Tonight.
A special effects clip features the opening rescue attempt, and the finale’s helicopter explosion, which was done with miniatures.
Side-by-Side storyboard comparisons are shown for three scenes, ‘Helicopter Explosion,’ ‘Air-to-Air Zip Line,’ and ‘Sarah’s Fall.’
Probably the best feature on the disc is the film’s trailer, which has been bumped to HD. In my opinion this is one of the greatest trailers for a film that I have seen, period. It uses no dialogue and is just a collection of spectacular action scenes that run over Mozart’s Requiem Dies Irae. When this trailer played in theaters way back in the winter of 1993, audience’s jaws nearly dropped. Not only was it an excellent way to sell the movie, but a perfect way to re-introduce Stallone as a new form of action hero.
BOTTOM LINE
Cliffhanger is a great popcorn action film and one of Stallone’s best. This Blu-ray offers a satisfactory image and amazing sound, and though all of the bonus features have been ported over from the DVD, the trailer has been bumped up to HD, and is a must see. If you’re a Stallone fan buying this is a must, and even those who never saw the film would probably enjoy this one as a Saturday night pick. As the tagline of the trailer echoes “Hang On!”
SCORES: (Out of 5):
The Movie: 4.0
Video: 3.5
Sound: 4.0
Extras: 3.0
Bottom Line: 4.0