Vertical Limit

Starring: Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton

Directed by: Martin Campbell

RS: Not Rated

2000 Action

Ain't no mountain high enough to keep Chris O'Donnell's Peter Garrett away from his sister, Annie (Robin Tunney). Annie is trapped in a crevasse on K2, the second-highest peak after Mt. Everest. At 26,000 feet - for you couch potatoes, that's the vertical limit of human endurance - it's only a matter of hours before Annie freezes over, along with her companions, guide Tom McLaren (Nicholas Lea) and asshole billionaire Elliot Vaughn (Bill Paxton in full smarm mode). Peter must find a crew to join him on this suicide mission. He's lucky to get weirdo Montgomery Wick (Scott Glenn in the flick's top performance) - a hermit whose wife's been an ice sculpture on K2 for years.

But enough of the plot. Shot at 10,000 feet around New Zealand's Mt. Cook, this clock-ticker raises the bar on climbing suspense, and that includes Cliffhanger. Director Martin Campbell (Golden Eye) pulls off thrilling stunts - notably a high-altitude helicopter drop-off and an avalanche precipitated by the nitro the rescuers lug in their backpacks - that will leave you a sweaty-palmed mess. It's top-tier movie escapism.

PETER TRAVERS
(RS 856/57)