K2 (film)
| K2 (also known as) K2: The Ultimate High |
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K2 DVD cover
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| Directed by | Franc Roddam |
| Produced by | Melvyn J. Estrin (exec.) Hal Weiner (exec.) Jonathan Taplin Tim Van Rellim Marilyn Weiner |
| Written by | Patrick Meyers Scott Roberts |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
Chaz Jankel Hans Zimmer (European version) |
| Cinematography | Gabriel Beristain |
| Edited by | Sean Barton |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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104 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3.043 million |
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 by Patrick Meyers and presented as a senior thesis at Stanford University. The film was directed by Franc Roddam, and written by Meyers and Scott Roberts, adapting Meyers' original stage play. The two main characters of the film, Taylor Brooks (played by Michael Biehn) and Harold Jameson (played by Matt Craven), are loosely based on Jim Wickwire and Louis Reichardt, respectively, the first two Americans to summit K2 in 1978. Wickwire and Reichardt are acknowledged in the ending credits.
Taylor Brooks (Michael Biehn) 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 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. Taylor recognizes Dallas (Luca Bercovici) from law school, and the team lets slip that they are testing equipment for a Himalayan expedition. That night, two members of Claiborne's team ignore Harold's warnings of an impending avalanche and perish when snow careens down the mountain. Claiborne and the other survivors are rescued, thanks to quick action by Taylor and Harold. At the interment, Taylor begs Claiborne to take him and Harold on his expedition to K2, the second highest peak in the world. Claiborne ultimately allows the duo to fill the hole in his team.
The entire team heads to the Karakoram, in Pakistan, and starts the climb successfully, though Taylor butts heads with Dallas, while Harold feels guilt over leaving his wife for this adventure. As the ascent continues, the team's Balti porters go on strike (mirroring the real-world experiences of several expeditions in the 1970s), and altitude sickness incapacitates Claiborne. A four-man team (Taylor, Harold, Dallas, and Japanese climber Takane) continue toward the summit with minimal gear. They are stopped when Claiborne authorizes (talking via radio) only two men to go for the summit, while two wait in reserve at the high camp. Dallas chooses Takane as his climbing partner, despite argument from Taylor. Later, Takane returns to the high camp badly injured and in severe hypothermia, and dies soon afterward.
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