Director Renny Harlin has made some crap(DEEP BLUE SEA, CUTTHROAT ISLAND), but his entry into the "DIE HARD" series, "DIE HARD 2," in this reviewer's opinion, is far better than the original film or the other two following it. "CLIFFHANGER," even with its fill of the kind of ridiculous survival outcomes inherent in this kind of action film, is one of the best action films of the 90s and every decade since.

Stallone plays Gabe Walker, a Rescue Climber, haunted by the tragic death of a young woman, he just couldn't save, in a harrowing predicament, brilliantly presented within the film's opening moments. Gabe leaves his job temporarily to deal with his sense of guilt.  Months later, another brilliantly shot action sequence unfolds as a US Treasury plane with a hundred million dollars, gets hijacked and crash-lands in the Rocky Mountains, but not before the money, stowed in three separate cases with rescue beacons, are lost in the snow, prior to impact.  The hijackers decide to call in a false rescue, posing as hikers, with the goal of getting the rescuers to help them traverse the dangerous terrain, find the loot, and be done with them before escaping.  So, when a former co-worker of Gabe, Jessie(Janine Turner) asks for him to come along with her for the rescue, it's obvious that a lot of action, twists and turns, and possibly steamy scenes(kidding, none here!)are about to unfold.

John Lithgow proves in his role, how versatile an actor he really is. While "RAISING CAIN" didn't work for this reviewer, his villain, as portrayed here, is really scary, without falling into the all-too-easy caricature mold.  All of the actors are really good! Even that guy who played the John Walton, Sr(Ralph Waite) is terrific. While fitting into the higher echelon of '90s action films, like a glove, Harlin punctuates the film's best moments with ballet-like precision and operatic overtures. People sometimes die while the score resonates in a manner, both intentionally original(for its time)and off-putting, but with complete success. "CLIFFHANGER" is the kind of classic action film, certain to please the newest viewers as much as its original audience, nearly twenty years later!

SONY has provided the correct 2.40:1 aspect ratio for this AVC-MPEG-4 1080p blu-ray.  Notably better than the laserdisc or dvd presentation, the presentation is hindered by the quality of effects of the time.  Colors are vibrant throughout, flawlessly capturing the beauty of the rugged terrain(and even fun-to-look-at set pieces) in scene-after-scene!  Detail is also exceptional, for the most part. A few scenes pop up wherein the background appears flat, but these are few and far between. for the most part, the depth, detail and overall image, are outstanding! Contrast is even more remarkable, when considering the proclivity of white snow in most scenes. A really great looking image, and dazzling to watch on a nicely adjusted home theater screen.

SONY has provided a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, effortlessly blowing away the standard dolby digital mix of dvd or laserdisc.  Every scene offers a flawlessly executed blend of effects. The ambient effects of snow and wind, balance perfectly with the terrific score, deep bass effects and dialogue that never becomes swallowed by its surroundings. A REFERENCE QUALITY PRESENTATION!!!

All of the extras are worthwhile for fans of the film, but unfortunately, only in 480p. Also, these have all been available in previous releases.

Trailers for other SONY blu-ray releases, are available in 1080p.