Vertical Limit (2000)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Martin Campbell

Writers (WGA):

Robert King (story)
Robert King (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 December 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

This December. Fear will Fall. Courage will Rise.

Plot:

A climber must rescue his sister on top of K2, one of the world's biggest mountains.

Plot Keywords:

Rescue | K2 | Death | Parricide | Urination Scene

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sun. July 12

9:00 AM

MAX

Cast

Chris O'Donnell	...	Peter Garrett
Robin Tunney	...	Annie Garrett
Stuart Wilson	...	Royce Garrett
Augie Davis	...	Aziz
Temuera Morrison	...	Major Rasul
Roshan Seth	...	Colonel Amir Salim
Alejandro Valdes-Rochin	...	Sergeant Asim
Nicholas Lea	...	Tom McLaren
Rod Brown	...	Ali Hasan
Scott Glenn	...	Montgomery Wick
Steve Le Marquand	...	Cyril Bench (as Steve le Marquand)
Ben Mendelsohn	...	Malcolm Bench
Izabella Scorupco	...	Monique Aubertine
Bill Paxton	...	Elliot Vaughn
Ed Viesturs	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Vertical Limit (Germany)
Vertical Limit - In größter Gefahr (Germany) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for intense life/death situations and brief strong language.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | Urdu

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Denmark:15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

K2, Karakoram Mountain Range, Pakistan

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Montgomery Wick's name is an obvious reference to Thomas Montgomerie and Jim Wickwire. Montgomerie discovered K2, and Jim Wickwire was the first American to climb K2. Wickwire also lost several toes on the mountain, similar to the character Montgomery Wick.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In all of the scenes with the trapped climbers, not once is their breath visible. Cold weather does not always make breath visible, particularly on film.

Quotes:

Tom McLaren: Are you going to kill me now?
Elliot Vaugh: Yes.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: Surviving 'Vertical Limit' (#7.22)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Take It To The Limit

An enticing arena of visual stimulation, but the script fails to deliver. ** (out of four)

VERTICAL LIMIT / (2000) ** (out of four)

By Blake French

Nothing bothers me more than filmmakers who believe their stupid movies explore deep, meaningful things. Maybe Martin Campbell is just plain stupid; director of "The Mask of Zorro," and "No Escape," "Vertical Limit" is not Campbell's worst movie-that goes to the 1996 James Bond installment of "Goldeneye." At least "Vertical Limit" has a theme: don't make stupid mistakes like the characters in this film. However, Campbell believes his movie examines earnest human emotions. "Forget the mountain, forget the snow, forget the conditions-‘Vertical Limit' is a drama that could be played out on flat land, and it would still be a fantastic movie about love, family and courage," he explains. I'd like to see him justify those words; take away the mountain, snow, and conditions, and you have no movie.

Within the 124 minutes of "Vertical Limit" the characters actually utter the following ludicrous dialogue: "Up there, you're not dying, you're dead," "a thousand sperm and you were the fastest," and "don't mind her. She's French-Canadian. Some days she's Canadian. Can be quite pleasant. Today she's obviously French." Lines like that just scream for attention; they are blunt, obvious, and unpleasant; they examine the true depths of this production-sea level at best.

The difference between an actor a wannabe actor becomes clear here. When an actor portrays a character in a life or death situation, he really needs to display emotion, anxiety, and intensity. The filmmaker's make the mistake of casting Chris O'Donnell in the lead role. With quirky, zany movies like "Batman & Robin" and "The Bachelor," he hasn't had to act dramatically. Here, when his character requires tension and depth, he fails to provide the movie with the necessary skill. Supporting actors Robin Tunney, Scott Glenn, Izabella Scorupco, and Bill Paxton deliver strong performances, but they can't accomplish much due to the lack of a solid leading character.

The film takes place several years after a climbing accident in which two siblings, Peter (O'Donnell), and Annie (Tunney), lost their father to a fatal fall. Peter now takes pictures of wildlife, Annie's a mountain guild. For the first time in several years, they meet at the base camp of K2, one of the world's most dangerous mountain regions. She will lead a wealthy Texas businessman, Elliot (Bill Paxton) and crew on an expedition to the top of the mountain, but dangerous weather approaches. Will the crew continue their journey, even though their lives are at risk?

It's an amazingly simple story, so simple that it becomes redundant in scene after scene of climbing and explosions. While the special effects dazzle us and we savor the sweeping, breathtaking views of mountainous terrain, the masterful technical aspects of the film do not make up for the lack of a sufficient script. The scenes that do induce audience participation and nail biting suspense last way too long. Take a scene where a helicopter releases passengers high on the mountain. At first, the scene proves noteworthy; the setting and potential for disaster ubiquitous. But it tests our patience; it lasts way too long and throws too many complications in the bundle. It's like the film knows the scene is effective, so milks it for every minute it is worth.

Why must movies like this always be so detached to reality and filled with stubborn characters? Isn't it increasingly obvious that the weather will not cooperate with the mountain expedition? But because of simple stupidity, they continue up the rugged terrain. The film provides the excuse that the characters are determined to achieve a self proclamation in life, but in reality, the script requires several of the character to get stuck in a situation in which they will need rescuing. We've seen this so many times before, "Vertical Limit" is simply too little too late.