Everest (2015)Everest is a survival drama released in 2015 and directed by Baltasar Kormákur (2 Guns, Contraband), based on the true events of the 1996 Mount Everest disaster — the deadliest day in the mountain's history at that time, in which eight climbers lost their lives during a single storm. The film draws on multiple accounts of the disaster, most notably Jon Krakauer's bestselling book Into Thin Air. Jason Clarke plays expedition leader Rob Hall, with Josh Brolin as the driven Beck Weathers and Jake Gyllenhaal as rival guide Scott Fischer. Shot partly on location in the Himalayas and on the Dolomites, with additional photography at high altitude on Everest itself, the film's visual scale is extraordinary. Kormákur handles the ensemble with real skill and the film's refusal to assign blame or manufacture villains gives the tragedy a dignity and emotional weight that lingers.Highlights The cinematography — Shot by Salvatore Totino in genuinely extreme conditions, the film's mountain photography is breathtaking; the scale of the Himalayan environment is communicated with a visceral immediacy that makes the climbers' vulnerability completely real. Jason Clarke as Rob Hall — A quietly powerful performance; Clarke conveys Hall's competence, warmth and ultimate helplessness with real conviction, and his radio conversations with his wife in the film's final act are genuinely devastating. The storm sequence — Kormákur stages the film's central catastrophe with extraordinary force; the whiteout conditions, disorientation and physical deterioration of the climbers are rendered with a terrifying authenticity. The ensemble structure — The film juggles a large cast of real people with real skill; each character is clearly drawn and the film ensures that the human cost of the disaster is felt individually rather than as an abstract statistic. The restraint — Kormákur and screenwriters William Nicholson and Simon Beaufoy resist the temptation to dramatise or sensationalise; the film's fidelity to the facts of what happened gives it a moral seriousness that distinguishes it from standard disaster cinema. Disc Details Title: Everest Year: 2015 Director: Baltasar Kormákur Cast: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson Studio: Universal Pictures / Working Title Films Certificate: 12A Region: Region B (UK) Format: Blu-ray Runtime: 121 minutes Genre: Adventure / Drama / Survival Barcode: 5053083060244 ConditionCondition: VG/VG — see our Condition Grading Guide.Browse our full range of Blu-ray titles. You might also enjoy our Compact Discs or Vinyl Records.
