Reminiscent of the 1980s action films that made him a star, Sylvester Stallone‘s early ’90s thriller was well-received at the time, but there’s no doubt it would’ve been much better had it been released later. The ’80s were a career-defining decade for Stallone, who was one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood at the time.

Stallone’s feud with Arnold Schwarzenegger during this time led to an increase in weaponry and brawn in their respective action films. However, after such an exciting time in his career, Stallone’s success was less consistent in the ’90s. Stallone started the decade in a slump with the poorly received fifth installment of the Rocky franchise, Rocky V, and Oscar.

It wasn’t long until Stallone made a comeback, eventually finding success with movies like Cop Land and Demolition Man. Before this, he teamed up with Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin for a thrilling action film, Cliffhanger. While a success, Cliffhanger still had its limitations, many of which wouldn’t be in place today and would make the film all the better.

Sylvester Stallone’s Cliffhanger Was Heavily Censored Both In The U.S. & Elsewhere

The Film’s Violent Scenes Were Cut Down Significantly

Cliffhanger follows mountain climber Gabe after he gets wrapped up in a heist involving the U.S. Treasury. Mirroring Stallone’s star-making action films of the ’80s, Cliffhanger was made to be a violent, action-packed thriller with Stallone’s Gabe Walker at the center. Director Renny Harlin is at his best in the action genre, and that’s apparent in Cliffhanger‘s non-stop thrills.

Cliffhanger delivers all the entertaining stunts and action sequences one could want from a Stallone-led film, but many of these scenes are cut down significantly. Most notably, in the United Kingdom and the United States, Cliffhanger was heavily censored to achieve the equivalent of an R rating.

While certain deleted scenes have been included in Cliffhanger‘s DVD release, much of the original violent content can only be found on a bootleg version of the film. These scenes are shown to have been shortened or edited to minimize the number of bullets that hit various characters, as well as the amount of blood and brain splatter seen throughout the film.

Cliffhanger’s Violence Would Have Been Easier To Get Away With 10 Years Later

The Evolved Movie Rating System Would Have Been Kinder To Cliffhanger

Had Cliffhanger been released a decade later, it’s likely much of the film’s original violence would have remained in the final cut. Considering the ways movie rating systems have evolved and become more flexible in recent years, it’s easy to ᴀssume that the violence seen in the original cut of Cliffhanger would have been suitable for an R rating.

Luckily, the changes made to Cliffhanger‘s violence weren’t detrimental to the film’s critical and commercial success. Cliffhanger is generally well-received by critics and is among Stallone’s highest-grossing movies. Despite its censorship, Cliffhanger prevailed due to its entertainment quality and Stallone and Harlin’s combined pull within the action genre.