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Vertical Limit on DVD (2000)

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Average rating: 59%
13156209612
3.0
from 2,421 members
 
Starring: Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton, Robin Tunney, Scott Glenn, Temuera Morrison, Stuart Wilson
Director: Martin Campbell
Studio: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT. UK
Run time: 119 mins
Certificate: 12
Collections: 100 Big Adventures
User collections: Love Film Rented Titles, You Know You Shouldn't Like It But...
Genres: Action/Adventure, Thriller
Languages: English
Dubbed: Hungarian
Subtitles: Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Released: 18/04/2005
Also Available on: Also Available on: BLU-RAY

Brief synopsis of Vertical Limit

As action director Martin Campbell's heart-pumping thriller VERTICAL LIMIT begins, an eagle glides gracefully over the stunningly filmed mesas of Utah. Its shadow falls on a vertical rock face being climbed by Peter Garrett (Chris O'Donnell), his father (Stuart Wilson), and his sister Annie (Robin Tunney). Suddenly a backpack hurtles by, followed rapidly by two climbers whose ropes tear the male Garretts from the rock face. The excruciatingly tense sequence ends in tragedy.
After this stunning opening, the action switches to the Himalayas, where tycoon Elliott Vaughn (Bill Paxton) has financed an expedition that will take him to the summit of K2--the world's second highest mountain. Annie is one of Elliott's party. In the face of a threatening storm, Elliott recklessly insists the climb should continue. The storm duly arrives and decimates the expedition, leaving Elliott and Annie stranded. Peter leads a group of climbers--including the grizzled Montgomery Wick (Scott Glenn) and a French-Canadian nurse (Izabella Scorupco)--in a rescue attempt.
Campbell, director of photography Derek Tattersall, many daring cameramen, mountain climbers, avalanche specialists, and special effects technicians, along with veteran editor Thom Noble, deliver a beautifully filmed mountaineering thriller with even more heart-stopping moments than JAWS.

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Critics Reviews

Rating of 2 stars out of 5 Radio Times

Snapped ropes, dislodged boulders and crumbling ledges are just some of the perils facing mountaineer Chris O'Donnell in this predictable but watchable adventure from Mask of Zorro director Martin Campbell. Now working as a photographer, O'Donnell is still haunted by memories of the harrowing climb that ended in his father's death. When an expedition to scale K2 (the world's second-highest mountain) goes badly awry, a group that includes O'Donnell's estranged sister (Robin Tunney) and reckless airline boss Bill Paxton faces imminent death. O'Donnell makes a decidedly uncharismatic hero, but some enjoyable action sequences almost make up for the clichéd characterisations.

Rating of 1 stars out of 4 Halliwell's Film Guide

Saturday morning matinee stuff, with one cliff-hanger after another: it's pulp fiction at its most unoriginal, but entertaining enough for the moment.

Box Office

"...The physical feats are inspiring, crowd-pleasing testaments to the stupendous extremes of human capabilities..."

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Members Reviews

Reviews Voted Most Helpful

Rated - 4 starsVERY GOOD

A customer from Wigan , 30/09/2004

Very entertaining movie, fast and action packed with breathtaking scenery. the extras are very good too, showing how the effects were shot using blue screen and digital cg combined. The only unconvincing part was the cg animated eagle in the opening chapter.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 4 starsVertical LIMIT

A customer from clitheroe, england , 22/07/2004

Great on the edge of your seat action, it really captures the suspense, not knowing quite whats going to happen next. fast moving intense plot and some great location shots.

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
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* * * This review contains spoilers * * *

Rated - 1 starsthrow logic out of the window.

ScaryJim from TROWBRIDGE , 24/08/2008

Picture this:- 3 people are trapped in a crevice up K2, do you leave them to die fearing the human cost outweighs the chance of getting them out alive or do you risk it? Well, luckily for you, the viewer, they just go for it. No they dont just go for it they also bring a ridiculous amount of motion/heat/light sensitive explosive to... well I didn't know why until the end but apparently it was just so we could see more interesting deaths than just the standard falling from a great height.

I can't complain too much about the 'acting' skills or the cliched characters but I will explain how the film makers gradually over the 2 hrs 10 minutes of the film actually made me quite angry because of the sheer lack of logic and the apparent nonchalance with which the cast of rescuers was despatched. Ok, I take it 2 people can die rescuing 3 and the human cost is *kind of* worth it (but not really because the idiots trapped brought it on themselves). However when 6 people die and only 1 person is rescued- well, I don't know if it is just my human nature but if I was there I'd begin to think that kind of sucks a bit, I'd begin to think 'If this f***head Chris o' Donnell wasn't such a selfish p@*ck we wouldn't have to be up a mountain trying to rescue his sister, watching the whole team gradually die around us'' I'd probably get quite angry and we'd have a little meeting and we'd all tell Chris O'Donnell what a nonce he is after the first person died and we'd all go home and have a cup of tea and maybe feel a tiny bit bad but mostly happy because 4 people didn't have to die to rescue what ends up being 1 person.

With all this death I was at least expecting a bit of exposition at the end (btw, as soon as the 2 people left rescue his half dead sister they are magically whisked to the bottom of the mountain - I don't know how... )I was expecting some questions, like ''hey sis I'm glad your alive but was it worth it? - after all 6 people are now dead as opposed to 3'' or Hey bro *ANGST* why did you have to rescue me, now 6 people are dead instead of just 3 !'' but no- Chris O' Donnels selfish sister and Chris share a little joke about her singing voice and really don't mention the deaths or the idiotic idea with the explosives (which resulted in most of the deaths). Anyway, just to be clear It had some interesting set pieces, mostly resulting in death but mostly as I might have mentioned before IT MADE ME A BIT ANGRY. It's just sometimes, when a film is based around a concept of humanity, it's good to go with that and play up to that element, apparently if you're a really good but selfish female climber like Chris O' donnels sister this element applies to you, if you're 2 australian jocks, a muslim and a grizzled old climber with a cliched back story basically stay away from Chris O' Donnell- he doesn't care about you ONLY HIS SISTER.

  2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
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Rated - 3 starsCliff hanger

Dave from Forest of Dean Gloucestershire UK , 17/04/2005

Greate thriller and well made thorouley enjoyed all the climbing scenes and the reality of the action.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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Rated - 3 starsCliff hanger

Dave from Forest of Dean Gloucestershire UK , 17/04/2005

Greate thriller and well made thorouley enjoyed all the climbing scenes and the reality of the action.

  1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
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Rated - 5 starsWow!

A customer from Cheshire , 23/08/2006

Gripped us within 30 seconds of starting and doesn't disappoint throughout. Cinematography is stunning and makes you feel cold just watching! Loved it and would recommend.

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