K2 (1991)

Such a frustrating disappointment

Load of rubbish!!

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

How much technical climbing detail and realism is in this movie? I am more interested in documentary-style technical climbing detail and information (like what route was taken and why, what hazards were anticipated and prepared for, what gear was taken, what was the plan and what went as planned and what did not, etc) - and less in character development and that sort of information - will I be disappointed or not? For example, "Touching The Void" did have a lot of technical climbing detail and realism, which is one reason it has a strong appeal to some people. I would like to see someone, such as the other reviewers here, comment on this important point.

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits A year before Cliffhanger came out, we were treated to this other mountain based adventure story without all the shooting and chasing but quite a fine spectacle all the same.Meet lawyer Taylor Brooks (Michael Biehn.) Arrogant, snazzy and a big shot on the scene. Meet his scientist pal Harold (or H) Jameson (Matt Craven) a more reserved, practical type guy. Two guys with seemingly little in common but one shared passion- mountain climbing. But they're two guys with their eyes on the big kahuna- K2, in Northern Pakistan, the seemingly unclimbable mountain. Taylor and H set out to do the impossible.K2 plays out as a simple, straight-forward mountain climbing thriller and on that level it works. Boasting some wonderful cinematography of the mountain ranges and some quite unnerving cliff top views, it feels like it's plodding along a bit sometimes, but it undeniably has clout for the type of movie it is and for this it's worth seeing. ***

K2 has to be one of the finest mountain climbing movies ever made. It is in many ways better than Vertical Limit, which had a big budget as compared to K2. However, In K2 the local color of the Himalayan mountains and the people and culture is exploited giving a special flavor to the movie. Michael Biehn ( star of the Terminator, Aliens, Navy Seals, The Abyss, etc) gives a memorable performance. His good old boy personality is top notch and his physical achievements are at its best. One has to see the movie to understand what mountain climbers do and die for. Matt Craven is the serous partner and the faithful sidekick to happy go lucky Michael Biehn.

This site is full of pretentious idiots ! From climbers who wanted to watch a 2 hour film about sack hauling and food ration logistics to unemployed film critics whining about interesting characters-you can't weave a super depth character into an action movie ! One guy (who by his own admission didn't even watch it properly) expected them to have actually filmed it on K2,(he called himself "a climber")he clearly knows nothing about the logistics or the remoteness and danger of that place-film a motion picture ON K2 ? What a tit ! As it is at every opportunity the film tries to establish what kind of person both climbers are, scenes such as Taylor telling Harold that on K2 he's on his own, Harold takes this as another sign of him being selfish 'till Taylor fully explains the situation. In other areas he proves he is that selfish, until he gets the ultimate challenge ! There are a few faults with things that are "undoable" but in comparison with every action film ever made v.few. As for unbelievability try reading about REAL mountain stories or Ernest Shakleton then tell me you don't believe them !As for complaints about clichés ! Climbing IS a cliché !!! That's why there aren't millions of climbing movies, how many twists can such a limited sphere have ? ........ Bar Touching the Void the best mountain movie-only one worth watching. Great action movie, plenty of comedy with real mountaineering stories (or clichés !)blended in. Atmospheric music too.