Hollywood's love affair with the mountains looks set to be rekindled by new film Vertical Limit
After all the furore over Tom Cruise's climbing stunts in Mission
Impossible 2, Hollywood has raised its sights to the big stuff in the
form of K2 aka 'Savage Mountain', the second highest peak in the
world, 'The Killer Mountain' etc. It's the second time K2 has starred
in a big buck adventure movie, the last one was the eponymous K2,
which I seem to remember was filmed in the Rockies, so I've probably
got that wrong. Doubtless it'll be up for ''Best Supporting Mountain'
at next year's Oscars.
Vertical Limit from Colombia Pictures is - and please forgive us
if we get some of this wrong, cos it's culled from a variety of film
web-sites - directed by the guy who made Zorro and Golden Eye. The
film stars Chris O'Donnel as a talented, handsome, damaged etc,
young mountainer, who is estranged from his sister after both are
involved in a mountaineering accident leading to the death of their
father in the aftermath of which he gives up climbing.
However, when his sister and her team are trapped high on K2 he's
forced back into action to lead a high altitude rescue mission with
the help of Glossop Mountain Rescue Team. Okay, I made up the bit
about the MRT, but you get the gist of the sort of Hollywood realism
we've all come to know and love.
The climbing sequences were shot around Mount Cook and the
Queenstown area in New Zealand's southern Alps and, if the online
trailer (click
here to take a look) is anything to go by are pretty awesome,
though in true Hollywood style there's loads of realistic high
altitude jumping around on ice cliffs, collapsing cornices etc. The
official site for
the film is here, but being Mac-using lepers, we weren't allowed
to actually view any of its contents. There are also some pics
here
of the refridgerated soundstage created for the film in NZ, mad
really as there's a flippin' great mountain just behind it.
Apparently Mr VO2 Max Ed Viesturs has a small cameo in the film
(as opposed to a large cameo) and the New Zealnd guide Guy Cotter who
was part of the safety team.
The US release date is given as December 8, which means we'll get
it some time around 2005. I've honestly seen Hollywood films shown on
Peruvian buses before we get them over here. Wonder if the rescue
succeeds eh? Stoopid question really.
Finally, really finally, there are some observations and clips of
some of the film making from one of the crew members at this
website.
