Vertical Limit

In a mountain range in the Southwestern United States, veteran mountain climber Royce Garrett
(Stuart Wilson) is traversing a cliff base with his son, Peter (Chris O'Donnell), and daughter, Annie
(Robin Tunney). Amateurs above them lose their footing and endanger them all, eventually causing all
three Garretts to hang precariously from a cable that cannot support their weight. Royce orders to Peter
to cut the rope, sacrificing himself to save his children. Years later, Peter has retired from climbing and
is a wildlife photographer. Annie has become a renowned mountain climber, but resents Peter for
cutting the rope. When his assistant is injured, Peter shows up at base camp as Annie attempts to climb
K2 in the Pakistan province of Gilgit-Baltistan, the world's second highest mountain, which is very
dangerous to climb because of the tough conditions which await at the summit. Complicating matters
further is the war between Pakistan and India, which has limited the expeditions support and resources.
The expedition is funded by wealthy industrialist Elliot Vaughn (Bill Paxton) who is also going to climb,
with the help of his friend Tom McLaren (Nicholas Lea). There is a huge party the night before the
climbers begin the trek, which is briefly interrupted by an eccentric, Montgomery Wick (Scott Glenn),
who warns that none have ever conquered K2, and none will. Vaughn is introduced to Peter, whom he
asks to accompany them on the trip, but Peter instantly refuses.

As the expedition progresses, the base discovers a potentially devastating ice storm, which could
endanger the expedition, but they cannot say with 100% certainty. Tom suggests that they return to
base. Vaughn refuses, deciding to play the odds. The winds begin to wreak havoc. Annie, Vaughn, and
Tom fall through a patch of ice and become trapped in a crevasse. Annie radios back to base using
Morse code and Peter learns of Annie's plight. Due to the seriousness of the cave-in, the rescue party
realizes that they may need explosives to blast a hole for a rescue. But the only explosive that they can
get their hands on is old nitroglycerin in leaky canisters. Few climbers are willing to consider the trip.
Peter manages to assemble a rescue mission with the base's best climbers including brothers Cyril and
Malcolm (Steve Le Marquand and Ben Mendelsohn), Monique Aubertine (Izabella Scorupco), Kareem
Nazir (Alexander Siddig) and Skip Taylor (Robert Taylor). However, the day before the rescue mission
goes underway. Skip and Peter also go visit Montgomery, reported to be the world's best climber and
foremost expert on K2. Wick reluctantly accepts after some serious convincing, and it is implied that
there is bad blood between him and Vaughn. Skip is unable to go as Wick says he needs him on the
ground directing the mission.

To maximize their survival odds, Wick decides to pair the strong climbers with the less experienced:
Malcolm and Kareem (much to Malcolm's dismay), Monique and Cyril, and Peter and Wick. They each
split up and take different entry points up the mountain with the hope that diversifying their explosives
will increase the chances of at least one pair getting through if another has an accident with the
unstable Nitro. Cyril constantly "flirts" with Monique (much to her dismay). Malcolm and Kareem have
awkward conversations which Malcolm points to wanting to complete the mission faster. Monique and
Cyril enter trouble when Cyril loses his balance and clings to the side of a cliff. After Monique secures
her harness to him, the peak cracks and Monique also falls over the edge and the nitro falls from Cyril's
backpack and creates a huge explosion that the other teams notice. Cyril is able to climb back up,
however, while he cheers arrogantly lowering a harness for Monique, they both hear a rumbling noise.
The explosion and crackling has in fact started an avalanche and is heading straight for Cyril. Cyril,
unable to do anything watches and screams helplessly as the avalanches swamps him and subsequently
throws him over the edge off the peak. Monique, still hanging onto the edge, manages to survive and
get back onto the peak. She then radios in and informs base that Cyril has been killed, but orders them
not to tell Malcolm yet.

Back at the station, nitroglycerin, used to clear rock formations etc., comes into contact with the sun
and reacts and subsequently explodes, completely dumbfounding the crew. Base tell the groups to get
their cases of nitroglycerin into the shade to avoid an explosion. Monique teams up with Peter and Wick
and they successfully manage to avoid a calamity. Malcolm and Kareem just manage to get the
nitroglycerin, but the can containing it leaks and it is exposed to the sun, killing both of them in the
explosion. Monique, Wick, and Peter witness the explosion.

Meanwhile, underground, Annie begins to suffer from pulmonary edema, when water begins to form
inside of the lungs, and she will die unless given medical attention. Tom is in a more severe state, with
his leg and ribs broken. Vaughn is the only one unharmed and possesses the medical kit. Annie pleads
with him to use dexamethasone (colloquially referred to in the movie as "Dex") to save Tom and
herself, but Vaughn declines, unwilling to waste it on a "lost cause". More to the fact, Vaughn doesn't
 Vertical Limit
want to die and believes he and Annie have the best chance of survival.

During the trek the next day, Monique comes across a woman's body frozen in the ice that has been
uncovered due to the second explosion. As she gets closer, Wick instantly recognizes the body and tells
Monique not to touch her; it is his own wife, Mayama. After Wick collects a ring and an empty box that
contained "dex" from his wife's body, he tells Peter that Elliot Vaughn is responsible for his wife's death.
Vaughn's story from his first disastrous climb on K2 detailed that the "dex" was swept away, but
Mayama always kept it on her person, meaning the empty box proves Vaughn used it for himself.
Knowing that Vaughn's story is a fraud and that he contributed to the deaths of other climbers, Wick
plans to kill him on the mountain and warns Peter that his sister ought to watch her supply very
carefully. Peter and Monique begin to grow close and there is some mild flirtation as Peter helps her set
bones on her broken finger; moreover, they talk about her relationship with Skip, for Peter to find out
that it's mostly professional, and not romantic, as he had once thought. Meanwhile, in Annie's camp, as
night comes Vaughn gives himself some dex, then kills Tom by sticking Tom with the syringe, full of air
to save remaining dex for himself.

Annie radios Peter and tells him that she won't survive much longer and that he should save himself
and turn back; he and Monique instead continue on their own early while Wick is sleeping. Wick wakes
up to see them gone and Peter and Monique, having continued trekking up the mountain, soon find the
place where Annie and Vaughn are imprisoned. They use the nitroglycerin to create a hole, enabling
access to the survivors. As Peter attempts to rescue Annie and Vaughn, the harness begins to loosen
but Wick arrives and secures it. Wick descends into the cave and harnesses Annie again, and though a
weakened Vaughn thinks he is about to attack him, Wick attaches a harness to him as well, and along
with Peter (with Monique towing the rope), they manage to pull Annie up with Wick and Vaughn still
harnessed underneath.

As they pull Annie up a clump of snow is dislodged and Annie, Peter, Wick and Vaughn are all left
hanging with just Monique supporting all their weight. With Vaughn below him, Wick understands they
cannot be pulled up and calmly cuts the rope.

Recovering at base camp, Annie reconciles with Peter, who finally pays his respects at a memorial for
those killed on K2, including the Wicks, Kareem, his cousin Ali, brothers Cyril and Malcom, guide Tom
McLaren..

‘…the agent is required to do each of two (or more) actions; the agent can do each of the actions; but the agent
cannot do both (or all) of the actions. The agent thus seems condemned to moral failure; no matter what she
does, she will do something wrong (or fail to do something that she ought to do).’

If we accept this definition, Peter, a character in the movie Vertical Limit (2000),  faces a moral dilemma: Peter,
with his father Royce and his sister Annie, encountered an accident when they were climbing at Monument
Valley, Arizona: two climbers on their upper position fell down and hit Royce and Peter. Luckily they did not fall
since they were tied with Annie by a safety rope. But the rope could only sustain the weight of two people but not
three. So Peter had to make a decision.

Questions
1. Imagine that you were Peter, what would you do?
2. Do you think it is morally wrong for Peter to cut the rope and to let his father fall? Why?
3. In the video, Royce requested Peter for cutting the rope in order to save Annie and Peter’s lives.
Imagine that that Royce made a different request: ‘please don’t cut the rope.’ What should Peter do?
4. ‘If Peter did not cut the rope, all three of them will probably fall together. But if he cuts the rope,
two lives (Peter and Annie) can be saved. Cutting the rope can save more lives and thus it is the right thing to
do.’ Do you agree with this claim? Why?
5. If you agree that it is morally acceptable to sacrifice someone’s life in order to save more lives,
what would you do in this situation?