Delayed Reaction: Cliffhanger

The Pitch: People are questioning how much of a badass Stallone is after doing Stop! Or My Mom  Will Shoot, so we need to do something that will remind them of that. How about mountains?

What Took Me So Long: I assumed that if I'd seen Vertical Limit, there wasn't much value in seeing this too.

Why I Saw It: (Club 50) Apparently, I've been on a Stallone kick lately. More appropriately, working down my list of movies, I realize how successful that man has been in the box office for several decades. No, the thing I found the oddest, but most refreshing in the movie is that Michael Rooker is a good guy for the whole thing. I thought Hollywood set his range of characters from outright villain to eventual anti-hero. Granted, I've not followed his entire filmography so I'm certain I've missed a dozen counter-examples.

Why I Wish I Hadn't: The obstacle of the movie was too contrived. The plot was reverse engineered so they could find an excuse to have as much climbing action as possible. It's not as ridiculous as, say, Battleship, but in that case, it was contrived to the point of being clever. This is just lazy. The bags each have trackers. They are scattered through the mountains. There's a plane crash that necessitates Stallone and friends using their climbing skills amidst gun fire.

Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend