The Climb (1997)

52% of users liked it
(417 ratings)

Directed by Bob Swaim, The Climb chronicles the efforts of a father and son trying to prove their bravery. Set in the 1950's and shot in New Zealand, 12-year-old Danny (Gregory Smith) is determined to reach the highest point of the town, which, in this case, is a 203-foot radio tower. The tower in… More Directed by Bob Swaim, The Climb chronicles the efforts of a father and son trying to prove their bravery. Set in the 1950's and shot in New Zealand, 12-year-old Danny (Gregory Smith) is determined to reach the highest point of the town, which, in this case, is a 203-foot radio tower. The tower in question, however, is scheduled to be demolished due to the accidents created by kids who had already attempted the climb. Despite the danger, Danny (Smith) feels that climbing the tower would prove once and for all that his father is not the cowardly war-dodger he's reputed to be, and that Danny himself is not one to be bullied. Though Danny had expected to plan and execute the climb in full, he finds an unlikely ally in Mr. Langer (John Hurt), his ill-tempered, hard-drinking neighbor. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 34 min.
Directed By: Bob Swaim
Written By: Vince McKewin
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International

In Theaters: Feb 18, 1999 Wide
On DVD: Feb 14, 1999
Studio: Spellbound Pictures

Critic Reviews

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
John Hurt, the star of The Climb, is an actor with an often staggering capacity for conveying human suffering.
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
[John] Hurt infuses the part with wicked humor, a mix of wisdom and despair. He creates a beautiful portrait of a man who can't wait to be done with life.
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Examiner
It's properly nostalgic, beautifully made, and has a little something for everyone.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jason O

In "The Climb," a boy named Danny wants to climb a tower in order to prove to his father and the bullies that he's not a coward. He finds an old man that wants to commit suicide. Since Danny (Gregory Smith) won't get the gun for the old man, the man agrees to help… More
In "The Climb," a boy named Danny wants to climb a tower in order to prove to his father and the bullies that he's not a coward. He finds an old man that wants to commit suicide. Since Danny (Gregory Smith) won't get the gun for the old man, the man agrees to help him get to the top of the tower just as long as he thinks he can get back down. But there's one thing that goes wrong, Danny breaks his arm a few days before he plans to climb to the top of the tower. "The Climb" is a little slow getting started, so you probably won't get real interested in it until Danny and the old man actually go to the tower and start carrying out their plan. About the only thing that will keep you interested before then is the old man's performance, he does a great job and so does Danny. If you like drama movies, I would recommend seeing "The Climb." It is interesting and toward the end of the movie when the climb is taking place, it has some good suspense. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2000. I haven't seen this movie since, just the one time on TV....but I still remember a lot of it! That says a lot about a movie, must've made a great impression!