I've lost count of the number of times I've turned on the TV and this movie has been on. I always end up watching it to the end. I think it's something of a masterpiece.
Despite its enduring watchability, I've never really thought of it this way. Perhaps that's because it's a Stallone movie. Maybe because it's tainted by the substandard franchise it began.
It's a remarkably nuanced action movie with very flawed human characters and a sense of scale in that gorgeous yet unforgiving mountain landscape that helps transcend the inherent limitations of the storyline.
I recently saw Wake in Fright, another movie by Ted Kotcheff that portrays human frailty against a beautiful yet brutal environment and despite being made 10 years and 10,000 miles apart, they are remarkably similar in intent.
What's even more fascinating is that both these classic movies were directed by the same man who also directed Weekend at Bernies.