Vertical Limit (2000)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Martin Campbell

Writers (WGA):

Robert King (story)
Robert King (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 December 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

This December. Fear will Fall. Courage will Rise.

Plot:

A climber must rescue his sister on top of K2, one of the world's biggest mountains.

Plot Keywords:

Rescue | K2 | Death | Parricide | Urination Scene

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Chris O'Donnell	...	Peter Garrett
Robin Tunney	...	Annie Garrett
Stuart Wilson	...	Royce Garrett
Augie Davis	...	Aziz
Temuera Morrison	...	Major Rasul
Roshan Seth	...	Colonel Amir Salim
Alejandro Valdes-Rochin	...	Sergeant Asim
Nicholas Lea	...	Tom McLaren
Rod Brown	...	Ali Hasan
Scott Glenn	...	Montgomery Wick
Steve Le Marquand	...	Cyril Bench (as Steve le Marquand)
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Malcolm Bench
Izabella Scorupco	...	Monique Aubertine
Bill Paxton	...	Elliot Vaughn
Ed Viesturs	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Vertical Limit (Germany)
Vertical Limit - In größter Gefahr (Germany) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense life/death situations and brief strong language.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | Urdu

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

K2, Karakoram Mountain Range, Pakistan

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The actors performed many of their own stunts.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Wick's dead wife was wearing her wedding ring on a string around her neck. When Wick finds her, he simply pulls the ring off the string; presumably, the string had deteriorated with time.

Quotes:

Annie Garrett: That was a hell of a thing you did up there. Anybody else would have given up.
Peter: Not everybody.
Annie Garrett: He'd be proud of you. Angry, but really proud.
Peter: Get some sleep.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Surviving 'Vertical Limit' (#7.22)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Macarthur Park

Comments from a real climber

Having climbed in the Andes, Tian Shan, St. Elias and other

mountain ranges across the planet, I was often asked what I

thought of this movie, and it's accuracy.

This is, without doubt, the least accurate film on climbing I have

ever seen. This movie is simply absurd. I consider it about as

"accurate" as, say, Spy Kids is to global espionage.

In addition to the gaffs pointed out, I wanted to state what was

most amusing to me: Inside the crevasse, the climbers ice tools

bounce off the crevasse walls like they're made out of solid steel

(and 'ping' just like it). But when Chris O'Donnall does his full

sprint (at altitude!) and huge leap across a cavernous abyss, he

drives his ice tools into the other side - made of solid rock - and

sticks like Spiderman. The film is filled with many other absurd

implausabilities that insult the sport it manipulates in the guise of

entertainment.

Aside from that, as so many others have noted, the movie is

simple minded action. If you don't mind laughing at much of it, and

don't for a moment think it represents realistic climbing, leave your

brain at the door and you might have some fun. But most people

will just find it absurd rubbish.