Sylvester Stallone: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

By Tim Colman /

3. Gabe Walker - Cliffhanger (1993)

Two great films in one year, 1993 really saw Stallone at his peak €“ quite literally in Cliffhanger. He€™s Gabe Walker (now there's a manly name), expert mountain climber (of course) haunted by a past mistake (who isn't?) who gets mixed up with crooked government types, briefcases of stolen cash, and John Lithgow doing an accent that makes him sound like Stewie from Family Guy. Once again, it€™s all tremendous fun and quite breathtaking at times with the actors clinging onto the side of sheer rock faces like, well, their lives depended on it. It€™s much more than just Rambo in the snow though, it€™s funny, it€™s exciting, it€™s everything that a proper blockbuster film should be €“ larger than life, and that€™s what makes Stallone such a perfect fit. Apparently the climbing techniques are bobbins - but I'm unlikely to ever go mountaineering, so I don't care - and there€™s a ton of improbable co-incidences, but it€™s big, dumb, exciting and still gives me vertigo just watching it.