8 Amazing Film Stunts You Won’t Believe Didn't Use CGI

2. Cliffhanger Pays Stuntman $1 Million To Hopefully Not Die

Waaaaay back in 1993, special effects weren't nearly up to the level they are today. So it might be easy to give the Sylvester Stallone's "Die Hard, but in the Rocky Mountains" vehicle Cliffhanger a pass when it comes to employing ridiculously dangerous stunts. But also keep in mind that Terminator 2: Judgment Day had come out two years earlier. Think about that while also reconciling the fact that stuntman Simon Crane was paid $1 million to perform a single stunt. It set the Guinness Record for "Costliest Aerial Stunt Ever Performed" and was awarded "Dumbest Thing Anyone Has Ever Agreed to Do on the Set of a Stallone Movie" (not sure which of those says more about this stunt). The stunt involved zip-lining between two very real airplanes that were flying 15,000 feet above the ground. So hopefully Crane's take-home pay was $1 million dollars plus one fresh pair of pants.