Product Description

CLINT EASTWOOD STARS AS A PROFESSIONAL ASSASSIN FORCED OUT OF RETIREMENT TO TRACK DOWN A DEADLY DOUBLE AGENT WHO HAS MURDERED HIS CLOSE FRIEND. THE HUNT TAKES EASTWOOD ON A BREATHTAKING JOURNEY UP THE SWISS ALPS. BONUS FEATURES: FEATURETTE, TALENT BIOS, THEATRICAL TRAILER, PRODUCTION NOTES AND WEB LINKS.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10123 in DVD
• Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
• Released on: 1998-12-15
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Arabic
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 123 minutes

Amazon.com
Clint Eastwood held the dual role of director and star of this 1975 spy thriller, which makes up for sluggish pacing with a breathtaking climax on a treacherous peak in the Swiss Alps. The plot kicks into gear when Eastwood, playing a retired assassin, is recruited back into a secret organization to avenge the murder of an old friend. He's then blackmailed into making a second "hit"; this time his target is one of three men who will be attempting to conquer the Eiger, a dangerous peak in Switzerland. Himself an accomplished climber, Eastwood's character joins the expedition with George Kennedy as leader of the ground crew. Shifting loyalties, apparent betrayals, and paranoid suspicion factor into the suspenseful climax on the sheer face of the mountain. This memorable sequence--for which Eastwood performed his own mountain-climbing stunts--is effectively intense, built on a standard plot of double-cross and intrigue that was intended to combine Eastwood's screen persona with the global adventure of the James Bond films. For the most part it works--it's not one of Eastwood's better films, but it's got some first-class thrills (and a sly performance by Jack Cassidy) to grab and hold your interest. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews

One of the Manliest Movies of All Time
All right.

With tongue firmly in cheek, let me say that the other reviewers of this movie have got it all wrong. "The Eiger Sanction" has got to be one of the all-time great "guy" films (I refer you to the "Big Damn Book of Sheer Manliness" here on Amazon.com for more information on those two). Yes, for Saturday-night-with-the-boys viewing, this is one of the classics. Here are ten reasons why:

1. Clint the Glint...need I say more?

2. Incredibly realistic mountain-climbing footage, from Southern Utah to the Swiss Alps, all shot on location, with none of the ridiculous fakery found in farces such as "Cliffhanger".

3. A plot that makes James Bond seem believable, starting with a combination art expert/mountain climber/CIA assassin and going forward from there.

4. Fantastic scenery shots, including George Kennedy and Clint on top of a sandstone pinnacle (I'm sure George really climbed it...yeah, right).

5. A cool resort compound (actually filmed at the lodge in Zion National Park, Utah).

6. Well-timed 70s nudity (in other words, totally unnecessary).

7. An albino (!) "establishment" guy, (CIA leader) and his wonderfully despicable sidekick, just waiting for Clint to kick around.

8. Astounding political incorrectness, including a character named "Jemimah Brown", another one known simply as "Buns", and much, much more.

9. Fantastically quotable manly lines, for example "Assassins get assassinated, and that ain't in my game plan", or "There's a twenty on the dresser by the bed", etc., etc., etc.

10. Clint even glints at a little dog...really!

I could go on and on.

All kidding aside, I love this movie! Just don't plan on taking it too seriously.

Decent thriller, Great Climbing Movie!
As a thriller, the 'Eiger Sanction' is just ok. It is a pretty faithful adaptation of Trevanian's bestseller from 1972. It stars Clint Eastwood as Dr. Johnathan Hemlock -- an ex-climber now art professor who does occasional asassinations for a secret US agency to pay for his art collection. He takes on one last job to pay for a Pissaro he desperately wants; but it requires that he get out his old climbing boots. He'll have to do the job while climbing the north face of the Eiger -- certainly one of the most dangerous climbs in the world.

I'm not completely sure of this, but I believe that this movie was also Clint Eastwood's directorial debut. He not only stars in it, but he produced and directed it as well!

Ah, the glorious 70's! The clothing, the hairstyles, the attitudes towards women, etc. It is quite fun to watch and chuckle at now. Hemlock is a kind of James Bond-ian super hero. Remarkably gifted not only at killing bad guys but also at bedding beautiful women, enjoying fine wine and food, and being an art expert. The story ofen requires you to suspend your sense of reality and to have a bit of a sense of humor. If you enjoy these kinds of thrillers, you'll definitely enjoy this one.

What sets this movie apart for me is the many climbing sequences! I am an avid climber and I know of no other 'Hollywood' movie that does as good a job as this one at showing real mountain climbing. The climbing scenes in the 'Eiger Sanction' are breathtaking and quite realistic. The scenes on the Eiger were actually filmed on location on the Eiger Nordwand itself! Remarkable! Apparently Clint is/was a bit of a climber himself, and took great pains to portray the climbing in as realistic a light as possible. Three cheers for Clint! On a sad note, one of the stuntmen/riggers was killed while filming the scenes on the Eiger.

Most other mass-market climbing films completely ruin the climbing scenes to make them more dramatic or exciting (Vertical Limit, Cliffhanger, K2, etc.); or are documentaries trying to cash in on the current Everest fever (and are more interested in the 'death zone' aspect of high altitude climbing than actually showing real climbing).

Bottom line for me: I bought this VHS for its depiction of the climbing more than the story line. However, it's also a pretty decent thriller as well as a fun trip back to the early 70's.

Clint Eastwood!
I don't like to give too much of the story away when I tell people about films I've seen or that I really like, and this review won't be an exception. Eastwood is blackmailed into an assasination on a mountain called the Eiger, that's as much of the plot as I think you need know, unless you've seen it of course, in which case you know what will happen. If you haven't seen it then you are missing out. The mountain climbing sequences are fantastic, and I think this story suits Eastwoods direcing style perfectly. It is kind of slow and plods along at times, but I like it that way. The story is textured and the conclusion is pleasing. This is classic Clint Eastwood, that's as much as anyone needs to know really. The special features are pretty poor, no documentary of any value, and it would be nice to hear Clint talk us through his film, you get standard early Universal DVD features instead. The transfer isn't great and the picture is grainy at times, but this is an older film, and I would have liked a remastered soundtrack in 5.1 Dolby digital, but nevermind. I'm contented enough just to have this film on disc. So should you be!