The Best Die Hard Rip-Off Is One You've Never Seen

Cliffhanger Is Beautiful, Thrilling, & Fully Stallone

And it is truly thrilling to watch. Harlin and cinematographer Alex Thompson capture the Rockies in all their crystal beauty and icy terror, always intimating the scale of the adventure and the danger around every corner. Both sides of the Rockies are captured perfectly, whether it's the vibrant red of the rescue helicopter contrasting with the serene, glacial backdrop of the mountains, or Gabe and Janine making a risky ascent. Thomson's compositions convey both momentum and tranquility, and make Cliffhanger one of Stallone's best-looking movies - certainly up there with Bill Butler's work on Rocky IV and Ric Waite on Cobra.

Of course, at the end of it all, integral to Cliffhanger's success is Sylvester Stallone. From his contributions to the script to his performance as Gabe, Cliffhanger works because it channels what's great about Sly in a way some of his later efforts from the eighties failed to.

Part of that I think can be attributed to Die Hard's influence; John McClane endearing himself the way he did helped usher in a new wave of flawed action heroes. Rather than change tack entirely though, through Cliffhanger, Stallone channeled the strengths he'd developed as an action star over the previous decade while also leaning into the sorrowful undercurrent of his formative performances.

Stallone's physicality and athleticism is just as essential as his ability to sell Gabe's trauma and triumph. This is what makes the character such a great role and Cliffhanger such a well-constructed piece of cinema. It is indebted to Die Hard in many ways, but it is - almost defiantly - a Stallone movie to the end.