'Vertical Limit' is a real surprise and could be a winter smash, a sleeper hit that no-one's expected. It's an up-to-date version of the traditional disaster movies that much more powerful, entertaining and exciting than this summer's 'The Perfect Storm' or any of the year's blockbusters and wannabes.
I saw 'VM' at a special screening held by its Hungarian distributor. During the opening credits one of my colleague said: "I bet this one'll fall into the <straight-to-video> territory." Fortunately he wasn't right: the opening sequence was so intense and energetic that took every present critic breath away. And then everybody catch that breath simultaneously. And that was the way it went till the very end.
Mountaineer (Robin Tunney) and millionaire (Bill Paxton) are bound to the top of K2, the second highest mountain in the world, and buried alive by an avalanche. While they are fighting for life, Tunney's cliffhanger brother (Chris O'Donnell) put together a rescue team of volunteers. And the climbing is getting started...
Movie screens has lacked mountaineers since 1993's unsurpassable 'Alive' and no-brainer 'Cliffhanger'. So 'VM' is an example of perfect timing. In a survey managed by the Box Office Guru ("Which December release are you looking forward the most?"), contenders got cca. 200, while 'Vertical Limit' got more than 2000 (!) votes.
The engine of the movie is director Martin Campbell's outstanding achievement. Though Robert King's ('Red Corner') and Terry Hayes's ('Dead Calm') screenplay has it tiny flaws (e.g. nitro-glycerine), Campbell cuts in time and never misses. He was the only good thing in 'Escape from Absolom/No Escape' and the one who once again infused life into the 'James Bond' series with 'Goldeneye'. Not to mention 'The Mask of Zorro', another surprise blockbuster from 1998.
'Vertical Limit' has a typical disaster-movie casting: no stars but recognizable faces. Here are Chris O'Donnell, whom Hollywood has almost buried alive after 'Batman and Robin', Bill Paxton, who plays small roles in big movies, Robin Tunney ('End of Days', 'Supernova'), whose performance could be a breakthrough for her, and last but not least Scott Glenn, whose part would probably be played by Sean Connery if 'VM' were an A-star vehicle.
Will 'Vertical Limit' be a winter blockbuster despite lacking for A-listers? Sure it will. Skip the others and get this to take your breath away. 9/10
I saw 'VM' at a special screening held by its Hungarian distributor. During the opening credits one of my colleague said: "I bet this one'll fall into the <straight-to-video> territory." Fortunately he wasn't right: the opening sequence was so intense and energetic that took every present critic breath away. And then everybody catch that breath simultaneously. And that was the way it went till the very end.
Mountaineer (Robin Tunney) and millionaire (Bill Paxton) are bound to the top of K2, the second highest mountain in the world, and buried alive by an avalanche. While they are fighting for life, Tunney's cliffhanger brother (Chris O'Donnell) put together a rescue team of volunteers. And the climbing is getting started...
Movie screens has lacked mountaineers since 1993's unsurpassable 'Alive' and no-brainer 'Cliffhanger'. So 'VM' is an example of perfect timing. In a survey managed by the Box Office Guru ("Which December release are you looking forward the most?"), contenders got cca. 200, while 'Vertical Limit' got more than 2000 (!) votes.
The engine of the movie is director Martin Campbell's outstanding achievement. Though Robert King's ('Red Corner') and Terry Hayes's ('Dead Calm') screenplay has it tiny flaws (e.g. nitro-glycerine), Campbell cuts in time and never misses. He was the only good thing in 'Escape from Absolom/No Escape' and the one who once again infused life into the 'James Bond' series with 'Goldeneye'. Not to mention 'The Mask of Zorro', another surprise blockbuster from 1998.
'Vertical Limit' has a typical disaster-movie casting: no stars but recognizable faces. Here are Chris O'Donnell, whom Hollywood has almost buried alive after 'Batman and Robin', Bill Paxton, who plays small roles in big movies, Robin Tunney ('End of Days', 'Supernova'), whose performance could be a breakthrough for her, and last but not least Scott Glenn, whose part would probably be played by Sean Connery if 'VM' were an A-star vehicle.
Will 'Vertical Limit' be a winter blockbuster despite lacking for A-listers? Sure it will. Skip the others and get this to take your breath away. 9/10