Vertical Limit

Great scares and big thrills make up for routine plotting in this action film, centered around a failed expedition to climb K2, the world’s deadliest mountain. Chris O’Donnell is far less than embarrassing as a former mountain climber forced to get back into the trade when his sister (Robin Tunney) and a headstrong billionaire (Bill Paxton) get stranded in a storm close to the mountain’s peak. Some of the film is agonizingly bad, but the avalanches and explosions more than make up for it. A semi-decent action movie that will have no lasting effect on you.