Sylvester Stallone’s “Cliffhanger” is now streaming on Netflix.
The 1993 action thriller arrived on Netflix in the US on Nov. 1, according to What’s on Netflix. Thirty-three years after its release, one of its stunts still holds a Guinness World Record.
The $1 Million Stunt
For one scene, stuntman Simon Crane crossed from one jet to another at 15,000 feet. The stunt cost $1 million, the most ever spent on a film stunt performed in the air, according to Guinness World Records.
Guinness says it was too dangerous to do twice, so Crane did it once. Stallone reportedly offered to cut his own fee by $1 million to make sure it happened.
What ‘Cliffhanger’ Is About
Stallone plays Gabe Walker, a mountain rescue ranger in the Rockies. John Lithgow plays Eric Qualen, the leader of a gang of thieves who lose $100 million in stolen Treasury money in the mountains. Gabe has to deal with them. Michael Rooker and Janine Turner co-star.
Renny Harlin directed. Michael France wrote the original script, and Stallone rewrote it. He changed so much that the studio, Carolco, asked the Writers Guild of America to give him a screenplay credit, and he got it.
Lithgow wasn’t supposed to be the main villain. He was first cast in a smaller role and moved up after Christopher Walken left the movie, per Wikipedia.
Shot in Italy, Not the Rockies
The movie is set in the Rocky Mountains, but most of it was shot in the Dolomites, near Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy. A few scenes were filmed in Durango, Colorado.
$40 Million Over Budget
The movie wasn’t cheap to make. TriStar paid for about half of it, and the production ended up about $40 million over budget.
It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 1993, and opened in US theaters eight days later.
A Big Hit in 1993
“Cliffhanger” cost $70 million and made $255 million worldwide, $84 million of it in the US and Canada. Only six movies made more that year.
It was nominated for three Oscars: sound, sound effects editing and visual effects. “Jurassic Park” won all three.
It also got four Razzie nominations, including worst picture. Lithgow was nominated for worst supporting actor.
Critics were mixed. It has a 67% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 59 out of 100 on Metacritic. Audiences gave it a “B” on CinemaScore.
The Sequel That Never Happened
A sequel, “Cliffhanger 2: The Dam,” was announced in 1994. It never got made.
