Themes: Haunted By the Past, Daring Rescues, Race Against Time
Main Cast: Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton, Robin Tunney, Scott Glenn, Izabella Scorupco, Temuera Morrison, Stuart Wilson
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 124 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Family differences and personal grudges add drama to an already tense situation as the lives of a team of mountain climbers hang in the balance in this action drama. Peter Garrett (Chris O'Donnell) and his sister Annie (Robin Tunney) are the children of Royce Garrett (Stuart Wilson), an avid outdoorsman and climbing enthusiast who died when an accident left all three hanging from a single rope; Royce ordered Peter to cut him loose to save the lives of his kids, even though he knew it would mean his death. Years later, Peter has given up climbing and become a respected nature photographer, while Annie, who holds Peter responsible for her father's death, is a famous world-class mountain climber who is hired by Elliot Vaughn (Bill Paxton), a self-made billionaire, to help him scale K2, a mountain in the Himalayas that's the second-highest peak in the world. In the midst of the climb, dangerous weather strikes, and Elliot, Annie, and their crew find themselves trapped in a cavern that's been sealed tight by an avalanche. Peter, who is near K2 working on an assignment, quickly organizes a crew of expert climbers to save Annie and the other mountaineers, who must work under a tight deadline before the trapped climbers run out of air. Peter's partners in the rescue include beautiful medic Monique (Izabella Scorupco), radical climbers Cyril (Steve Le Marquand) and Malcolm (Ben Mendelsohn), disciplined Pakistani crewman Kareem (Alexander Siddig), and Montgomery (Scott Glenn), an eccentric outdoorsman who has a score to settle with Elliot. While backgrounds were shot on location in Pakistan, most of the climbing sequences in Vertical Limit were actually filmed on mountain ranges in New Zealand. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
Following the great visual successes of GoldenEye (1995) and The Mask of Zorro (1998), director Martin Campbell continues honing his reputation as a creator of smart thrillers with this exciting, fast-paced action-drama set in the Himalayas. If the script at times strains credulity with stock supporting characters such as those played by Bill Paxton and Scott Glenn, it also maintains a taut, suspenseful framework for Campbell's ingeniously mounted action scenes. The screenplay by Terry Hayes and Robert King also keeps the tension high by zipping along at a brisk clip, never allowing the audience too much time to consider how outrageous the entire enterprise truly is, which is the mark of a superb "B" picture. The cast, led by Chris O'Donnell and Robin Tunney, is uniformly fine, with Alexander Siddig a particular standout in a small role as a rescuer bent on saving his cousin. However, the real star of Vertical Limit is its director, as Campbell once again displays a high degree of capability with sprawling action material, putting previous mountain-climbing flicks such as Cliffhanger (1993) to shame. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Nicholas Lea - Tom McLaren; Alexander Siddig - Kareem; Robert Taylor - Skip Taylor; Roshan Seth - Colonel Amir Salem; David Hayman - Frank "Chainsaw" Williams; Ben Mendelsohn - Malcolm Bench; Steve LeMarquand - Cyril Bench; Graham Charles - Climbing Doubles; Robert Mammone - Brian Maki; Ed Viesters - Ed Viesturs; Clinton Beavan - WNN Cameraman; Dave Bergman - Climbing Doubles; Karl Boomsma - Climbing Doubles; Alistar Bronins - Ali; Rod Brown - Ali Hasan; Campbell Cooley - Campbell; Gavin Craig - Summit Air Pilots; Jo Davidson - Italian Team Member; Augie Davis - Aziz; Patricia Deavoll - Climbing Doubles; Tiffany DeCastro - Crying Woman; Aaron Halstead - Climbing Doubles; Sally Spencer Harris - Party Goers; Bruce Hasler - Climbing Doubles; Bruce Kingan - Rasul Flying Double; Bryan Moore - Climbing Doubles; Leela Patel - Mayama Wick; Tamati Rice - Party Goers; Leos Stransky - Grunge Climbers; Tom Struthers - Grunge Climbers; Alejandro Valdes-Rochin - Sergeant Asim; Kat West - Climbing Doubles; Nicole Whippy - Spanish Climber; Craig Walsh Wrightson - Party Goers; Shahid Zafar - Prayer Leader
Credit
Kim Sinclair - Art Director, Jill Cormack - Art Director, Nick Bassett - Art Director, Andrea Adams - Animator, Mark Spevick - Animator, Philip A. Patterson - Associate Producer, Amy Reid Lescoe - Associate Producer, David Allen Smith - Boom Operator, Diana Rowan - Casting, Pam Dixon - Casting, Pete Anthony - Conductor, Graciela Mazon - Costume Designer, Joe McCloskey - Costume Designer, Philip A. Patterson - First Assistant Director, Martin Campbell - Director, Simon Crane - Second Unit Director, Thom Noble - Editor, Marcia Nasatir - Executive Producer, Kimberly Logan - Location Manager, Robert Story - Location Manager, Robin Mounsey - Location Manager, James Newton Howard - Composer (Music Score), Brad Dechter - Musical Arrangement, Camille Henderson - Makeup, Lynn Barber - Makeup, Sherry Hubbard - Makeup, Nikki Gooley - Makeup, Michael Krehl - Makeup, Gerry Vasbenter - Camera Operator, Steve Kroschel - Camera Operator, Peter McCaffrey - Camera Operator, Andy Wilson - Camera Operator, Jon Bunker - Production Designer, David Tattersall - Cinematographer, Dave Hardberger - Cinematographer, Tim Coddington - Production Manager, Catherine Madigan - Production Manager, Nancy King - Production Manager, Martin Campbell - Producer, Lloyd Phillips - Producer, Robert King - Producer, Paul Dunn - Special Effects, Steven Warner - Special Effects, Stephen Shelley - Special Effects, Paul Stevenson - Special Effects, Mark Meddings - Special Effects, Alistair Anderson - Special Effects, David Brighton - Special Effects, Gareth Clarke - Special Effects, Peter Cleveland - Special Effects, Paul Crowe - Special Effects, David G. Crownshaw - Special Effects, Jabin Dickins - Special Effects, Ray Ferguson - Special Effects, Wayne Flockton - Special Effects, Peter Haran - Special Effects, Ryan Hartnett - Special Effects, Tim Howell - Special Effects, Peter Jahnsen - Special Effects, Mike Kerby - Special Effects, John Maine - Special Effects, Jason McCameron - Special Effects, Martin McLaughlin - Special Effects, Roger J. Porteous - Special Effects, Simon Quinn - Special Effects, Mark Robson - Special Effects, Kevin Rogan - Special Effects, Mark Rogan - Special Effects, Shuan Rutter - Special Effects, Gerard Slaven - Special Effects, Ivan Taylor - Special Effects, Hamish Revell Thompson - Special Effects, Colin Umpelby - Special Effects, Anne Marie Walters - Special Effects, Peter White - Special Effects, Barry Whitrod - Special Effects, Alan Young - Special Effects, Kathleen Cusack - Sound/Sound Designer, David Cronnelly - Stunts, Steve Davis - Stunts, Sandy East - Stunts, Wade Eastwood - Stunts, Jamie Edgell - Stunts, Mark Franklin Henson - Stunts, Lindsay Herlinger - Stunts, Tony Marsh - Stunts, Jo McLaren - Stunts, Brooke Sandahl - Stunts, Sheree Swords - Stunts, Simon Crane - Stunts Coordinator, Dean Lockwood - Special Effects Supervisor, Neil Corbould - Special Effects Supervisor, Robert King - Screen Story, Terry Hayes - Screenwriter, Robert King - Screenwriter, Fraser Taggart - Second Unit Director Of Photography, Roger Vernon - Additional Cinematography, Sarah Shackleton - Production Assistant, John Catron - Production Assistant, Patricia Compter - Production Assistant, Seumas Cooney - Production Assistant, Natalie Cox - Production Assistant, Jen Gasson - Production Assistant, PJ Harling - Production Assistant, Kerryn Highsted - Production Assistant, Helena Larssen-Allen - Production Assistant, Pauline Marran - Production Assistant, Erin McLean - Production Assistant, Alex Pilcher - Production Assistant, Scott Reid - Production Assistant, John Thomssen - Production Assistant, Rob Wilkin - Production Assistant, Jennifer Bosworth - Production Assistant, Courtney Rackley - Production Assistant, Kent Houston - Visual Effects Supervisor, Scott Sanders - Sound Effects Editor, Karen S. Alvarez - Executive in Charge of Production, Lloyd Phillips - Unit Publicist, Sue May - Unit Publicist, Daniel Monaghan - Additional Editing, Slater Crosby - First Assistant Camera, Carlos De Carvalho - First Assistant Camera, Jason Ellis - First Assistant Camera, Justin Fonda - First Assistant Camera, Werner Martiz - First Assistant Camera, Pat Morrow - First Assistant Camera, Adam Clark - First Assistant Camera, Eddie Knight - Gaffer, Tom Franchette - Gaffer, Thad Lawrence - Gaffer, Don M. Black - Grip, Peter Clemence - Key Grip, Terry Fraser - Key Grip, David Nichols - Key Grip, Jim Weidman - Music Editor, Richard Bernstein - Music Editor, David Olson - Music Editor, Susan Parker - Production Coordinator, Julie Huntsinger - Production Supervisor, Tink Ten Eyck - Production Supervisor, Carole Fontana - Production Supervisor, Caroline Usher - Properties Master, Bob McCarron - Prosthetic Makeup Effects, Scott Wolf - Re-Recording Mixer, Scott Millan - Re-Recording Mixer, Nikki Clapp - Script Supervisor, Sarah Hinch - Script Supervisor, Jacinta Gibson - Second Assistant Director, Ellen Hillers - Second Assistant Director, Jamie Marshall - Second Assistant Director, Tony Simpson - Second Assistant Director, Alan Rankin - Sound Effects Director, Hector Gika - Sound Effects Director, Bruce Richardson - Sound Effects Director, Peter McCaffrey - Steadicam Operator, Colin Monteath - Still Photographer, Kent George - Still Photographer, Dave McMoyler - Supervising Sound Editor, Kim Beuche - Visual Effects Producer, Tricia Henry Ashford - Visual Effects Producer, Andrew Kopra - Visual Effects Producer, Jennifer Hall Lee - Visual Effects Producer, Mark Schafer - Visual Effects Producer, Peter Hornbuckle - Costume/Wardrobe, Marcus Taylor - Costume/Wardrobe, Miranda Brown - Costume/Wardrobe, Lindsey Edwards - Costume/Wardrobe, Craig Henry - Costume/Wardrobe, Katherine Skinner - Costume/Wardrobe, Jeena Phelps - ADR Editor, Fred Stahly - ADR Editor, Howard London - ADR Mixer, Danielle Valenciano - Assistant Costumer Designer, Adam Brailsford - Assistant Location Manager, Orville Sisco - Assistant Location Manager, Mark Van Der Wilt - Assistant Location Manager, Felicity Letcher - Assistant Production Coordinator, Sarah Metcalfe - Assistant Production Coordinator, Carl Venimore - Best Boy Grip, Greg Tidman - Best Boy Grip, Simon Ambrose - Best Boy Grip, Pip Steele - Buyer, Janelle Aston - Buyer, Carey Johnson - Construction Coordinator, B.J. Rogers Meddings - Costumes Supervisor, Dianne Foothead - Costumes Supervisor, Mark Gordon - Dialogue Editor, Constance A. Kazmar - Dialogue Editor, Lou Klienman - Dialogue Editor, Jay Munro - Dolly Grip, Jon Copley - First Assistant Accountant, Tanya Bidois - First Assistant Accountant, Robert Fiske - First Assistant Accountant, Jodine Muir - First Assistant Accountant, Kirsten Stevens - First Assistant Accountant, Tristan Brighty - First Assistant Editor, Rebecca Stocker - First Assistant Editor, Gary A. Hecker - Foley Artist, Matthew Dettman - Foley Artist, Stu Bernstein - Foley Editor, Valerie Davidson - Foley Editor, Cheryl Williams - Key Hairstylist, Simon Nicolas Zanker - Key Hairstylist, Steve Mitchell - Scenic Artist, Gary Grimes - Scenic Artist, Trevor Lithgow - Scenic Artist, Rachel Beard - Second Assistant Camera, Ullric Raymond - Second Assistant Camera, Luke Thomas - Second Assistant Camera, Florent Vassault - Second Assistant Camera, Jock Fyfe - Second Assistant Camera, Elisa Cohen - Second Assistant Editor, Martin Gorzeman - Set Dresser, Carl Aldana - Storyboard Artist, David Russell - Storyboard Artist, Ronald Croci - Storyboard Artist, Peter McCully - Storyboard Artist, Richard Newsome - Storyboard Artist, Paul Fisher - Transportation Captain, Mick Snell - Transportation Captain, Anohana Production Management and Technology, LLC - Visual Effects, Bernhard Henrich - Set Decorator, The Reel Team - ADR Loop Group, Andrea Horta - ADR Supervisor, Dean McKenzie - Craft Service/Catering, Flying Trestles - Craft Service/Catering, Michael Johnstone - Craft Service/Catering, Fiona Wadman - Craft Service/Catering, Christopher Hogan - Foley Supervisor, Mo Henry - Negative Cutter, Jeffrey Rogers - Pilot, Gavin Craig - Pilot, Bruce Kingan - Pilot, Derek Cook - Pilot, Kerry Fodie - Pilot, Richard Hayes - Pilot, Alfie Speight - Pilot, James Howe - Set Medic/First Aid, Corbin Fox - Special Effects Technician, Dan Cervin - Special Effects Technician, Monte Thompson - Special Effects Technician, Kazmer Harangozo - Third Assistant Director, Maury Jacks - Video Assist, Duncan Paterson - Video Assist, Martin Allan Kloner - Visual Effects Editor, Frameline - Title Design, Roger Vernon - Assistant Director, Ma Twinam-Cauchi - CG Animator
Peter Garrett (O'Donnell) is a wildlife photographer and retired climber who a few years earlier caused his father to fall off a cliff face and plummet to his death in order to save his sister and his own lives (following his Dad's orders). The film starts with this scene in which father, son and daughter are climbing together. Peter hasn't been able to move on and has subsequently retired from climbing and continued with his photography instead. Peter's sister Annie (Tunney) has become a renowned mountain climber. Peter happens to show up at base camp as Annie attempts to climb K2 in Pakistan, the world's second highest mountain, which is very dangerous to climb because of the tough conditions which await at the summit. The expedition is funded by wealthy industrialist Elliot Vaughn (Paxton) who is also going to climb, with the help of his friend Tom McLaren (Lea). There is a huge party the night before the climbers begin the trek. Vaughn is introduced to Peter, who he asks to accompany them on the trip, but Peter instantly refuses.
The climb turns out to be a disaster as the windy conditions begin to wreak havoc among the travellers. Annie, Vaughn, and Tom fall through a patch of ice and become trapped in a cavern. Annie radios back to base using Morse code and Peter learns of Annie's plight. He assembles together a rescue mission with the base's best climbers including brothers Cyril and Malcolm (Le Marquand and Mendelsohn), Monique Aubertine (Scorupco), Kareem Nazir (Siddig) and Skip Taylor (Taylor). However, the day before the rescue mission goes underway. Skip and Peter go visit Montgomery Wick (Glenn), reported to be the world's best climber, and who has climbed K2 before. After an awkward conversation with Wick, he agrees to go and Peter sees Wick's bare feet without toes. Skip informs him Wick lost his wife on the mountain and lost his toes to frostbite, and that Wick has searched for her every day since the accident. Skip is unable to go as Wick says he needs him on the ground directing the mission, instead of being with it.
The teams pair off: Malcolm and Kareem (much to Malcolm's dismay), Monique and Cyril and Peter and Wick. They each split up and take different entry points of the mountain. Cyril constantly "flirts" with Monique (much to her dismay). Malcolm and Kareem have awkward conversations which Malcolm points to wanting to complete the mission faster. Monique and Cyril enter trouble when Cyril looses his balance and clings to the side of a cliff. After Monique secures her harness to him, the peak cracks and Monique also falls over the edge and the nitro falls from Cyril's backpack and creates a huge explosion that the other teams notice. Cyril is able to climb back up, however, while he cheers arrogantly lowering a harness for Monique, they both hear a rumbling noise. The explosion and crackling has in fact started an avalanche and is heading straight for Cyril. Cyril, unable to do anything watches and screams helplessly as the avalanches swamps him and subsequently throws him over the edge of the peak. Monique, still hanging onto the edge, manages to survive and get back onto the peak. She then radios in and informs base that Cyril has been killed, but orders them not to tell Malcolm yet.
Back at the station, nitroglycerin, used to clear rock formations etc., comes into contact with the sun and reacts and subsequently explodes, completely dumbfounding the crew. Base tell the groups to get their cases of nitroglycerin into the shade and fill it up with snow in order to avoid an explosion. Monique teams up with Peter and Wick and they successfully manage to avoid a calamity. Malcolm and Kareem just manage to get the nitroglycerin into the shade. They start to laugh in relief, not knowing the nitroglycerin can is leaking and it is exposed to the sun and both of them are killed in the explosion. Monique, Wick, and Peter witness the explosion.
Meanwhile, underground, Annie begins to suffer from pulmonary edema, when water begins to form inside of the lungs, and she will die unless given medical attention. Tom is in a more severe state, with his leg and ribs broken. Vaughn is the only one unharmed and possesses the medical kit. Annie pleads with him to use dexamethasone (colloquially referred to in the movie as "Dex") to save Tom and herself, but Vaughn declines, unwilling to waste it on a "lost cause". More to the fact, Vaughn doesn't want to die and believes he and Annie have the best chance of survival.
During the trek the next day, Monique comes across a woman's body frozen in the ice that has been uncovered due to the second explosion. As she gets closer, Wick instantly recognizes the body and tells Monique not to touch her; it is his own wife. After Wick collects a ring and an empty box that contained "dex" from his wife's body, he tells Peter that Elliot Vaughn is responsible for his wife's death because he mentioned that the "dex" was swept away and there wasn't any for anyone, but Wick's wife always kept it on her, and the empty box proves Vaughn used it for himself and so Wick plans to kill him on the mountain. Peter and Monique begin to grow close and there is a hinted romance. Night comes and underground, Vaughn plots to kill Tom, so more Dex can be used on himself. He does this by sticking Tom with a syringe of air and muffling his screams.
Annie radios Peter and tells him that she won't survive much longer and that he should save himself and turn back; he and Monique instead continue on their own early while Wick is sleeping. Wick wakes up to see them gone and Peter and Monique, having continued trekking up the mountain, soon find the place where Annie and Vaughn are imprisoned. They effectively use the nitroglycerin to destroy a huge chunk of the ice and creating a hole, enabling access to the survivors below. As Peter attempts to rescue Annie and Vaughn, the harness begins to become loose and is about to come out when Wick arrives at this point and puts it back in. Wick descends into the cave and harnesses Annie again, and though Vaughn thinks he is about to attack him, Wick attaches a harness to him as well, and along with Peter (with Monique towing the rope), they manage to pull Annie up with Wick and Vaughn still harnessed underneath.
As they pull Annie up a large clump of snow is dislodged and Annie, Peter Wick and Vaughn are all left hanging with just Monique supporting all their weight. With Vaughn below him, Wick understands they cannot be pulled up and decides to sacrifice himself, despite Vaughn shrieking at him not to. Wick cuts the rope with a knife, and both he and Vaughn are lost below. Annie is saved and the film ends with her safely recovering at base camp and she reconciles with her brother. Peter then pays his respects at a memorial for those killed on K2.
The film grossed $68,000,000 in the US box office.
The film grossed $213,500,000 Worldwide.
Professional mountaineer Ed Viesturs has a cameo playing himself.
Controversy
Despite receiving mixed critical reaction, one supporter of the film at the time of its release was film criticDavid Manning who gave the film critical praise. In late 2001, however, Manning was revealed to be fictitious, created by Sony to fake publicity for the film.[citation needed]
Despite the popular belief that this film uses multiple live action natural scenes (avalanches and snow leopards), there has recently been contention that these scenes were produced using advanced computer generated graphics. To this day Sony has not commented on this claim, and the debate rages on. One theory as to the disconnect between the avalanche itself and the scenes surrounding it involves the snow leopards that appear in the second scene of the movie. The contention is that so much of the CG budget was drained on creating life like leopards, that the producers were forced to use stock footage for the avalanche.[citation needed]
