Stallone’s $1 Million Stunt: The Most Expensive in Movie History 33 Years Ago

Some action sequences stun with their spectacle, while others make film history due to the real risks involved. In the 1993 film “Cliffhanger,” one breathtaking aerial scene required a massive investment, personally funded by Sylvester Stallone.

A Mind-Boggling Stunt Performed Without Any Tricks

In the first third of Renny Harlin’s film, a particularly tense scene depicts the transfer of suitcases full of money between two airplanes mid-flight. The criminals, engaged in a risky operation, use a cable suspended in the air to move their loot from one plane to another.

Before the transfer, however, one man must do the unthinkable: traverse the gap between the two airplanes himself. The character Richard Travers, played by Rex Linn, then embarks on a dizzying maneuver thousands of meters above the ground.

Contrary to what one might think today, this scene was not created using digital effects or shot against a green screen. It was actually performed under real conditions by experienced stuntman Simon Crane.

According to Legend Media, who revisited the event on Instagram, “Cliffhanger executed what was at the time the most expensive stunt in film history, even making it into the Guinness Book of Records. Simon Crane jumped from one airplane to another at over 4,500 meters without a safety net or digital effects. The scene cost $1 million, which is about $2.2 million today, and it was actor Sylvester Stallone who financed it.”

Why Stallone Paid Out of His Own Pocket

This scene came to fruition due to an unexpected decision by the film’s star. Insurance companies had refused to cover Simon Crane for a stunt they deemed too dangerous. Faced with this deadlock, Sylvester Stallone agreed to cut his own salary by a million dollars to enable the filming.

This rare commitment reflects the actor’s desire to push the realism of the film to the limit.

A Challenging Shoot and Cinematic Illusion

Although “Cliffhanger” was primarily filmed in Italy, particularly in the resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo in the heart of the Dolomites, this aerial sequence could not be shot there. The reason is simple: this type of stunt was prohibited in Europe. The team therefore had to travel to the United States to be able to film this extraordinary scene.

A little-known detail: Simon Crane actually never managed to enter the second airplane at the end of the jump. It was the editing that later created the perfect illusion on screen.

A Peak of 1990s Action Cinema

Starring Sylvester Stallone, “Cliffhanger” tells the story of Gabe Walker, a mountain rescue worker haunted by guilt after failing to save a friend. Just when he thought he would leave his profession for good, he agrees to partake in a rescue mission in the Rockies following the supposed crash of an airplane. However, the survivors turn out to be criminals in search of a huge cache of money, ready to use the rescuers to retrieve their loot.

With its dizzying climbing scenes and a particularly heart-wrenching opening scene (which is equally impressive), the film remains one of the great action spectacles of the 1990s. It almost makes the acrobatics of Mission: Impossible seem like a mere warm-up.

Cliffhanger is now available on VOD.

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