Action and thrills collide on the slopes in the Sylvester Stallone action vehicle Cliffhanger, directed by Renny Harlin. Columbia has done an excellent job on this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Everything about this picture looks clean, crisp, and very well-rendered with no signs of edge enhancement or digital artifacting present. All color schemes and black levels are top-notch with the fleshtones appearing bright and natural. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in English as well as Dolby Digital 2.0 in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. This 5.1 soundtrack is very well-mixed featuring bombastic surround sounds through both the front and rear speakers. All aspects of the dialogue, effects, and Trevor Jones' music score are free of any excessive distortion or hiss. Also included on this disc are English, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles. Cliffhanger: Special Edition DVD is filled with some great extra features, starting off with two commentary tracks, one by star Sylvester Stallone and director Renny Harlin, and a second by some of the effects crew from the film. Both of these commentaries provide a wealth of knowledge on the making of the film, and are insightful as to how the story came into focus for all involved (as expected, the effects crew commentary track is more on the technical side). A special introduction by Renny Harlin includes the director discussing why he decided to make the film. "Stallone: On the Edge" is a 20-minute look at the making of Cliffhanger, which includes a lot of behind-the-scenes footage. Two deleted scenes are available in a rough cut form, plus some explanation by the director on why they were cut from the final film. "Special Effects: How It Was Done" highlights two scenes from the film, showing how the effects were constructed and accomplished. Finally, there are some storyboard comparisons, two photo galleries with location and behind-the-scenes pictures, some talent files on the cast and crew, and a theatrical trailer of the movie with an introduction by the director (the trailer is considered one of the best movie previews ever made). This is an excellent edition of Cliffhanger and a must for any serious action movie fan.

In this inspirational sports drama, a talented but drug-addicted basketball player cleans up his act and devotes his life to teaching Harlem children to play the game.