K2 (film)
Encyclopedia
K2 is a 1991 motion picture loosely based on the story of two friends' ascent of the second-highest mountain on Earth, K2
. The story is based on a play written and presented as a senior-thesis at Stanford University
. These roles were played by Michael Biehn
and Matt Craven
. The film was directed by Franc Roddam
and written by Patrick Meyers and Scott Roberts, adapting the original stage play by Meyers.
The music from this movie has appeared to have changed.
) and Harold Jameson (Matt Craven
) are white-collar
professionals by weekday, and accomplished mountain
climbers on weekends. Though they share a love for scaling mountains, the two friends are somewhat opposites in their personal lives. Taylor is a thrill-seeking attorney
and womanizer, while Harold is a married, level-headed scientist
.
On a climb, the pair encounter billionaire Phillip Claiborne (Raymond J. Barry
), who is accompanied by a team of fellow climbers. They explain they are testing equipment for a major Himalyan expedition but don't reveal the peak. Brooks meets a climber he remembers from law school, Dallas. That night, two of Claiborne's team ignore Harold's warnings of an impending avalanche
and are killed when snow careens down the mountain. Claiborne and the other survivors are rescued only thanks to the quick action of Taylor and Harold. With a hole left in his climbing crew, Taylor begs Claiborne to take him and Harold to join him on his next climb - K2
, the second highest peak in the world. Claiborne finally relents and allows the two to join his team.
The entire team heads to the Karakoram
and starts the climb successfully, though Taylor butts heads with Dallas while Harold has guilt over leaving his wife
to participate. As the ascent continues, the team runs into trouble when their Balti porters strike (mirroring the real-world experiences of several expeditions in the 1970s) and Claiborne becomes ill with altitude sickness. A four-man team (Taylor, Harold, Dallas and Japanese climber Takane) continue the summit
with minimal gear. They are stopped when Claiborne makes the decision (talking via radio
) to only allow two men to make the final summit, while two wait behind at the high camp. Dallas chooses Takane as the second man to go, and they leave, amidst protest from Taylor and Harold. Later, Takane returns to the tents after a bad fall, in severe hypothermia, dying soon after.
Taylor and Harold decide to try for the summit themselves. After a grueling journey, the pair finish the climb and celebrate. Their happiness is short-lived, however, as Harold slips on the descent, badly breaks his leg
, and drops the climbing rope. The pain is unbearable and he cannot be moved. Luckily, Taylor soon comes cross Dallas' frozen body, as well as his climbing rope and supply of epinephrine
(adrenaline) kept on hand. Taylor injects Harold with an epinephrine autoinjector
and then begins to lower his friend to safety, several dozen feet at a time. Despite Harold's pleas, Taylor refuses to abandon him and continue alone. They continue to descend until they reach a ridge, where a helicopter
comes into view. The men are saved and celebrate.
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
. The story is based on a play written and presented as a senior-thesis at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. These roles were played by Michael Biehn
Michael Biehn
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror...
and Matt Craven
Matt Craven
-Life and career:Craven was born Matthew John Crnkovich in Port Colborne, Ontario, the son of Joanne Leslie, a hairdresser, and Nick Crnkovich. He has an older sister, Deborah...
. The film was directed by Franc Roddam
Franc Roddam
Francis George "Franc" Roddam is an English film director, businessman, screenwriter, television producer and publisher. He is married to photographer, Leila Ansari, and has six children from previous marriages. He currently lives in London.-Career:Roddam's films include "Quadrophenia", "K2",...
and written by Patrick Meyers and Scott Roberts, adapting the original stage play by Meyers.
The music from this movie has appeared to have changed.
Plot
Taylor Brooks (Michael BiehnMichael Biehn
Michael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror...
) and Harold Jameson (Matt Craven
Matt Craven
-Life and career:Craven was born Matthew John Crnkovich in Port Colborne, Ontario, the son of Joanne Leslie, a hairdresser, and Nick Crnkovich. He has an older sister, Deborah...
) are white-collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
professionals by weekday, and accomplished mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
climbers on weekends. Though they share a love for scaling mountains, the two friends are somewhat opposites in their personal lives. Taylor is a thrill-seeking attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and womanizer, while Harold is a married, level-headed scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
.
On a climb, the pair encounter billionaire Phillip Claiborne (Raymond J. Barry
Raymond J. Barry
Raymond John Barry is an American film, television and stage actor.-Personal life:Raymond John Barry was born in Hempstead, New York . His father, Raymond Barry, worked in sales. His mother, Barbara Barry , was also an actor, known professionally as B. Constance Barry...
), who is accompanied by a team of fellow climbers. They explain they are testing equipment for a major Himalyan expedition but don't reveal the peak. Brooks meets a climber he remembers from law school, Dallas. That night, two of Claiborne's team ignore Harold's warnings of an impending avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
and are killed when snow careens down the mountain. Claiborne and the other survivors are rescued only thanks to the quick action of Taylor and Harold. With a hole left in his climbing crew, Taylor begs Claiborne to take him and Harold to join him on his next climb - K2
K2
K2 is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest...
, the second highest peak in the world. Claiborne finally relents and allows the two to join his team.
The entire team heads to the Karakoram
Karakoram
The Karakoram, or Karakorum , is a large mountain range spanning the borders between Pakistan, India and China, located in the regions of Gilgit-Baltistan , Ladakh , and Xinjiang region,...
and starts the climb successfully, though Taylor butts heads with Dallas while Harold has guilt over leaving his wife
Wife
A wife is a female partner in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the wife regarding her spouse and others, and her status in the community and in law, varies between cultures and has varied over time.-Origin and etymology:...
to participate. As the ascent continues, the team runs into trouble when their Balti porters strike (mirroring the real-world experiences of several expeditions in the 1970s) and Claiborne becomes ill with altitude sickness. A four-man team (Taylor, Harold, Dallas and Japanese climber Takane) continue the summit
Summit (topography)
In topography, a summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. Mathematically, a summit is a local maximum in elevation...
with minimal gear. They are stopped when Claiborne makes the decision (talking via radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
) to only allow two men to make the final summit, while two wait behind at the high camp. Dallas chooses Takane as the second man to go, and they leave, amidst protest from Taylor and Harold. Later, Takane returns to the tents after a bad fall, in severe hypothermia, dying soon after.
Taylor and Harold decide to try for the summit themselves. After a grueling journey, the pair finish the climb and celebrate. Their happiness is short-lived, however, as Harold slips on the descent, badly breaks his leg
Broken Leg
Broken Leg is an indie rock song written and recorded by Australian indie rock band Bluejuice. The song was voted no. 5 in the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100. The accompanying music video was voted in at no. 1 on Rage's RAGE FIFTY countdown that was voted for by viewers and shown on the last weekend of...
, and drops the climbing rope. The pain is unbearable and he cannot be moved. Luckily, Taylor soon comes cross Dallas' frozen body, as well as his climbing rope and supply of epinephrine
Epinephrine
Epinephrine is a hormone and a neurotransmitter. It increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels, dilates air passages and participates in the fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. In chemical terms, adrenaline is one of a group of monoamines called the catecholamines...
(adrenaline) kept on hand. Taylor injects Harold with an epinephrine autoinjector
Epinephrine autoinjector
An epinephrine autoinjector is a medical device used to deliver a measured dose of epinephrine using autoinjector technology, most frequently for the treatment of acute allergic reactions to avoid or treat the onset of anaphylactic shock.Trade names for this device include EpiPen, Twinject,...
and then begins to lower his friend to safety, several dozen feet at a time. Despite Harold's pleas, Taylor refuses to abandon him and continue alone. They continue to descend until they reach a ridge, where a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
comes into view. The men are saved and celebrate.
Cast
- Michael BiehnMichael BiehnMichael Connell Biehn is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in James Cameron's science fiction action films The Terminator as Kyle Reese, Aliens as Cpl. Dwayne Hicks, and The Abyss as Lt. Coffey. He has also acted in such films as Tombstone, The Rock, and Planet Terror...
as Taylor Brooks - Matt CravenMatt Craven-Life and career:Craven was born Matthew John Crnkovich in Port Colborne, Ontario, the son of Joanne Leslie, a hairdresser, and Nick Crnkovich. He has an older sister, Deborah...
as Harold Jameson - Raymond J. BarryRaymond J. BarryRaymond John Barry is an American film, television and stage actor.-Personal life:Raymond John Barry was born in Hempstead, New York . His father, Raymond Barry, worked in sales. His mother, Barbara Barry , was also an actor, known professionally as B. Constance Barry...
as Phillip Claiborne - Luca Bercovci as Dallas Woolf
- Patricia CharbonneauPatricia CharbonneauPatricia Charbonneau is an American actress, probably best known for playing the part of Cay Rivvers in Desert Hearts, her first film role.Charbonneau was born in Valley Stream, New York on Long Island...
as Jackie Metcalf - Julia Nickson-SoulJulia Nickson-SoulJulia Nickson-Soul is an actress. She first came to the attention of audiences in the United States in the Sylvester Stallone film, Rambo: First Blood Part II...
as Cindy Jameson - David CubittDavid CubittDavid Cubitt is a Canadian television actor.Born in England in 1965 to a Dutch mother and a British father, he moved with his parents to Vancouver, British Columbia when he was six months old. He studied at Studio 58 there. He has starred in the Canadian series Traders and the American series...
as Peter - Hiroshi FujiokaHiroshi Fujioka, better known by his stage name , is a Japanese actor known for playing the hero Takeshi Hongo in the tokusatsu superhero series Kamen Rider, and later the Sega Saturn mascot Segata Sanshiro. Fujioka is a cultural icon in Japan, even having the minor planet 12408 Fujioka, discovered by Akimasa...
as Takane Shimuzu