Trivia: John Lithgow considers Eric Qualen to be the corniest villain he's ever played, but also feels that the character has survived the test of time. He also considers this film to have his best death scene.
Cliffhanger (1993)
1 trivia entry since 3 Mar '25, 20:53
Directed by: Renny Harlin
Starring: Sylvester Stallone, John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, Janine Turner
Continuity mistake: When the jet crashes, we see a shot from below showing a large portion of it poking out over the cliff. We then cut to the parachutists, and when we cut back to the jet, we see that very nearly all of it is safely on rock.
Sarah: Help me! I don't want to die.
Gabe: You're not gonna die.
Question: Why was Hal mad and blamed Gabe for Sarah's death? It wasn't his fault. Also, how did Sarah get to that height at the beginning of the movie with no climbing experience? I mean, I can barely climb an indoor climbing wall, but she can climb a mountain like a walk in the park. (02:16:00 - 02:16:35)
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Answer: There was no realistic reason. First, the steel buckle on the safety harness would never just bend and break like that. The accident was not Gabe's fault, but Hal is supposedly so angry and grief-stricken that he unfairly claims Gabe ignored his advice when rescuing her. The movie uses melodramatic plotting to contrive a conflict between the two men. It's also unrealistic that Sarah, an inexperienced climber, was able to make such a difficult climb, even with Hal's help. The movie had many plot holes.
raywest ★