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23 of 27 found the following review helpful:
 It tests the limits of your patienceJun 03, 2001
By David Vidaurre
"Count Westwest"
If you like senseless action sequences and random death but don't care about a plot... then by all means watch this movie. The story is so predictable that as soon as the Pakistani and Australian brothers volunteer for the improbable rescue, I found myself doing the sign of the cross for them. Only North Americans may survive this ... flick about the rescue of two "expert" climbers who walk into a storm at 26,000 feet for the sake of a publicity stunt by a billionaire and climber wannabe played by Bill Paxton. Mix into the story some nitroglycerine that seems to pick and choose when to explode, and you have a movie that will insult your intellingence like no other. The characters and the story are so poorly developed that you actually feel no sympathy for the stranded climbers, especially for Annie Garrett, sister of Peter Garrett (played awfully by Chris O'Donnell) who are totally responsable for the mess they are in... and the death of four rescuers and several porters to boot (but who is counting them).Like me, you may find yourself rooting for the nitro when you watch this movie. One final insult to the intelligence of the viewers of the DVD version, is seeing Robin Tunney telling us with ... ice sprinkled on her face, how she had to learn mountain climbing in 10 days to do this movie.
27 of 34 found the following review helpful:
 MOUNTAIN MADNESS...Jun 25, 2001
By Lawyeraau
I love climbing books. I love climbing movies. Therefore, I was thrilled when this movie came out. It is an action packed, edge of your seat, high altitude climbing film. No doubt about it. There is even a cameo appearance by mountaineer Ed Viesters. The only real problem with the film is the plot. It is downright unbelievable, at times. If, however, you can suspend disbelief, you will still enjoy this film. I know that I did. The film revolves around a brother and sister, played by Chris O'Donnell and Robin Tunney, who are estranged following the death of their father while climbing. His death scene is a real nail biter, as it deals with a situation that a climber hopes never occurs. Three years later, the sister is climbing professionally, while the brother has retired from climbing and is, instead, working as a photographer for National Geographic. He and his sister inadvertently meet up on K2, the second highest peak in the world and probably the most perilous to climb, while he is on assignment for National Geographic, and she is there to climb. The sister is set to climb K2 as part of the climbing team put together by a millionaire played by Bill Paxton. For him, K2 is a trophy mountain, and he plans to climb it with the intention of reaching the summit just as the inaugural flight of the airline he owns is flying overhead. He has put together an ace team, but, alas, K2 has a mind of its own. While climbing, they are overtaken by a storm, after the millionaire disregards his lead climber's warning that the team should turn back. The sister ends up falling into a crevasse. An avalanche kills off the rest of the team, except for the lead climber and the millionaire, who join the sister in the crevasse. Hypoxic and injured, they maintain radio contact with base camp and let them know of their predicament. The brother now steps up to home plate. Organizing a six person, rescue team led by a stereotypic mountain man, wonderfully played by Scott Glenn in a standout performance, the brother sets out to rescue his baby sister, and the fun begins. The climbers each set out with a canister of nitroglycerine, as they plan to set off the nitroglycerine in order to get the three surviving climbers out of the crevasse which has been covered over by the avalanche. Give yourself over to the dazzling mountain views, the stunning, hair raising, mountains madness, and try to ignore the silly plot. Anyone who knows anything about mountains would know that setting off explosives on snow packed slopes is tantamount to an open invitation to avalanche, something no climber wants. Notwithstanding this, get set for an action packed adventure. Despite the silly plot, it is an otherwise entertaining and enjoyable film. If the crunch of crampons on ice is in your blood, if you love the idea of an ice axe saving you from a fall thousands of feet off a cliff, if the idea of a cornice breaking off, while you are standing on it, is a challenge to your climbing skills, then this is definitely the movie for you. If the words avalanche, hypoxia, and pulmonary edema are all in your everyday vocabulary, then you, too, will enjoy this film. If you just like action packed adventure, make sure you also see this film. I am sure that you will enjoy it. The DVD itself is an excellent value. It comes laden with a number of special features, including a National Geographic special on K2, featuring Jim Wickwire and Rick Ridgeway who, in 1978, along with Lou Reichardt and John Roskelley, were the first Americans ever to reach the summit of K2. The DVD also shows you how some of the stunts in the film were done. All in all, this DVD is well worth buying, and the film is well worth watching.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
blu rayJan 03, 2008
By johnny
this movie on blu ray is excellent its never looked and sounded so good very sharp and colourful, also region free
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
OkAug 24, 2005
By Kaleb
This movie was ok. It could have been much more accurate in the portrail of climbing, but then most non-climbers would consider it a fairly boring movie. The nitrogycerin element of the story was IMHO, completley asanine but then they wouldn't have got to show all of those great explosions. There is no way that anyone could make it to near the top of K2 with nitro strapped to them. Temprature changes of a fraction of a degree, or barely touching a vile can set the stuff off. But if they wanted to be accurate about the nitro everyone would have probably died in the helicopter if not before then. I'm a climber and I thought the movie was entertaning and had beautiful scenery but that's about it. If you want a psudoclimbing movie with a lot of action this is a good choice. However, if you want to find out what real climbing is like, and what dangers can arise, buy Touching the Void.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Funny - but not factualAug 18, 2005
By Smile
While this movie is entertaining for both climbers and non-climbers alike, it is so for different reasons.
Climbers will find this movie hillarious (although a little irritating) with all it's factual inaccuracies. Even in the first scene of the movie it is obvious the director/writer has no climbing experience when the middle climber on a three person rope (roped up mountaineering style for rock climbing, no less) is belayed by his sister below him rather than his father who is anchored above him. And it just gets worse from there.
Non-climbers will probably find this movie to be both interesting and exciting - but please note that real climbing is nothing like that (most climbers have more common sense than this and do not have a death wish). But as simply an action movie for the masses, Vertical Limit is an excting movie and nothing more.
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