Verdict
Summary
While its plot and characters (especially Biehn’s very unsympathetic character) might not be ideal for a film with such a grand scope, the movie is still highly effective as a pure mountain climbing exercise, and perhaps the first of its type to really capture the feeling of what that is really all about. A few years later Cliffhanger turned mountain climbing into a roller coaster ride, but K2 got there first.
Plot:
A climbing expedition to reach the peak of K2 ends in triumph … and disaster.
Review:
Cocky, self-centered overachiever Taylor (Michael Biehn) has all the ability and ambition to accomplish all his dreams, but he’s a failure at friendship and love, leaving no room in his life for anyone or anything that doesn’t help propel him forward in life. The only friend he’s got is Harold (Matt Craven), a family man and a teacher who has love and purpose in his life but in Taylor he finds someone to push him into striving for that extra esoteric thing that gives him a little bit of an edge and a feeling of danger that he craves. When they meet a millionaire named Claiborne (Raymond J. Barry) who is known in the mountain climbing world, they get a whiff of his wealth and prestige and get his confidence enough to be able to climb with him and his crew on some high altitude expeditions. When Claiborne has two openings to go with him and his crew to climb K2 in the Himalayas, they fit the bill and are given the chance of a lifetime to join the expedition, but it will be the absolute ultimate test of wills for all of them as they learn a hell of a lot about each other and what they’re willing to do to feel the ultimate high … if they can reach the peak.
When K2 was released theatrically in 1992, I saw it on a big screen, and I still vividly remember the chilly, exhilarating feeling I got while watching it, and the film hasn’t lost its potency. While its plot and characters (especially Biehn’s very unsympathetic character) might not be ideal for a film with such a grand scope, the movie is still highly effective as a pure mountain climbing exercise, and perhaps the first of its type to really capture the feeling of what that is really all about. A few years later Cliffhanger turned mountain climbing into a roller coaster ride, but K2 got there first. Franc Roddam directed this. Astonishingly, it was adapted from a stage play. Chaz Jankel did the score for the U.S. release, and Hans Zimmer did the score for the U.K. release.
Kino Lorber’s new 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray combo pack for K2 has only the U.S. version, despite the sleeve saying Hans Zimmer did the score, and the picture quality is stunning, upgrading the film in a huge way since it has only been available in a crummy, cropped DVD or a VHS since its initial home video release. Fans of the film can now own this film the way it was meant to be seen, and newcomers have the perfect place to begin their appreciation of the film. It comes with an audio commentary by two film historians, plus an on-camera conversation with Roddam, the trailer, and slipcover.
