Product Details

• Actors: Scott Glenn, Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton, Robin Tunney, Stuart Wilson
• Directors: Martin Campbell
• Writers: Robert King, Terry Hayes
• Producers: Martin Campbell, Amy Lescoe, Lloyd Phillips, Marcia Nasatir, Mike Medavoy
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French
• Dubbed: French
• Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only)
  PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click .
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: July 25, 2002
• Run Time: 124 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (179 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003CXQG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,385 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Vertical Limit (Special Edition)" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton. When an avalanche traps a woman and her team on a 28,000-foot mountain, only her estranged brother-a retired mountain climber-can save her in this breathtaking adventure. 2000/color/124 min/PG-13/widescreen.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 34 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars It tests the limits of your patience June 3, 2001

By David Vidaurre

Format:DVD

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.

31 of 39 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars MOUNTAIN MADNESS... June 24, 2001

By Lawyeraau HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars blu ray January 3, 2008

By johnny

Format:Blu-ray

this movie on blu ray is excellent its never looked and sounded so good very sharp and colourful, also region free