CLIFFHANGER WILL HAVE YOU ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT WHILE FRANK SMILES LIKE A CHESHIRE CAT

Talk about a riveting opening scene to a movie, this one arguably is the best of all time. Most probaly you could say it steals the heart racing thunder from the rest of the movie, although CLIFFHANGER does maintain enough of a decent storyline to turn out a decent movie all round. The classic opening of course has been a basis for a few parodies over the years since the film come out in 1993, the most funny one i've seen involved a dog in place of Sarah in the real Cliffhanger, but seriously, Michelle Joyner, playing the role of Sarah, the woman who Gabe Walker (played by Sly Stallone) just could not hold on to before she fell 4000 feet to her death, put on the performance of a lifetime even if it only lasted a minute and a half. The look of terror in her eyes and on her face and the unsettling hysteria which she conveyed while holding on for dear life above the chasm below, is acting at its very best. Stallone gave a good performance in this movie too, much better than his usual standard, after Sarah's tragic death which he felt guilt for since it was him who offered to rescue her when her harness snapped on that fateful day in the Rockies he returns to town 8 months later to get the rest of his stuff and asks his girlfriend Jesse, who was also there when Sarah died, to leave town with him. Long story, but upon Jesse's insistance, he reluctantly decides to go back to the mountains to take part in a rescue, where a volatile standoff takes place between Gabe and Sarah`s widower Hal (played by Michael Rooker). Of course Hal and the laughing Frank (played by Ralph Waite),the helicopter rescue pilot, were there at the beginning while Sarah fell to her death as well. Hal nearly pushes Gabe off a cliff, but they soon discover they need each other despite their acrimonious reunion after discovering the call for rescue is a sinister hoax involving a ruthless son of a bitch named Eric Qualen, played to Nick Nolte-ish bad arse perfection by the baby faced John Lithgow. I wont bother reviewing the rest of the movie, but be assured there is plenty of mishaps involving gunfire, avalanches and plenty of resolve by Qualen and his fellow bad eggs to recover three suitcases containing $100 million which are hiding somewhere in the snow after their plane crashes. All along Gabe, Hal and Frank were just guinea pigs used by Qualen to help recover the suitcases of money. Smiling Frank also is shot dead in cold blood, i felt sorry for him before i saw the You Tube video but now i dont feel so sorry for the smiling bugger. Just slightly out of place acting there. Ralph Waite could have at least tried to look sad and not laugh.