I'm surprised that some viewers have been so hard on this film. Sure, the plot is formulaic, and for those of us who are experienced mountaineers, the events and stunts rise occasionally to the ridiculous. But this movie was far superior to some of the mountaineering films made in the early 90s (K2, Cliffhanger). It is also visually beautiful to watch if you enjoy the mountains or are a climber. Other perks for the armchair mountaineer include a cameo by Ed Viesturs (as himself).
The plot is a simple one. Accomplished young sibling climbers become estranged after the death of their father in a climbing accident, but are reunited in the K2 death zone after one becomes trapped with her climbing party at high altitude and her brother forms the rescue party. From there, all that's required to enjoy the unfolding events is an ability to enjoy the stunning vistas and not take the details too seriously.
The movie was well cast, with an earnest Chris O'Donnell as a young hero, Scott Glenn as a mysterious, menacing, yet fundamentally well intentioned old school climber, and Tom Paxton as a hard-charging self-absorbed businessman.
Also, when this film was first released the plot had some timely elements in the wake of the 1996 Everest disaster. The notion that wealthy clients could "guarantee" themselves a summit via high-priced guides--often with tragic results--was most certainly not fiction. No doubt the Everest story, although much more serious than this enjoyable bit of mountaineering fluff, influenced the writer of the screenplay here.
The plot is a simple one. Accomplished young sibling climbers become estranged after the death of their father in a climbing accident, but are reunited in the K2 death zone after one becomes trapped with her climbing party at high altitude and her brother forms the rescue party. From there, all that's required to enjoy the unfolding events is an ability to enjoy the stunning vistas and not take the details too seriously.
The movie was well cast, with an earnest Chris O'Donnell as a young hero, Scott Glenn as a mysterious, menacing, yet fundamentally well intentioned old school climber, and Tom Paxton as a hard-charging self-absorbed businessman.
Also, when this film was first released the plot had some timely elements in the wake of the 1996 Everest disaster. The notion that wealthy clients could "guarantee" themselves a summit via high-priced guides--often with tragic results--was most certainly not fiction. No doubt the Everest story, although much more serious than this enjoyable bit of mountaineering fluff, influenced the writer of the screenplay here.