From its gripping opening sequence to its emotionally-charged ending, Vertical Limit kept me on the edge of my seat. Although primarily an action-adventure showcasing the excitement of mountain climbing, this fast-paced movie is also a compelling drama about love, family, and courage. Delivering his most touching performance to date, Chris O’Donnell stars as a nature photographer obsessed with rescuing his estranged sister, a woman trapped in an icy grave on the world’s second highest peak.

After a tragic accident takes the life of their father, Peter (O’Donnell) and Annie (Robin Tunney) go their separate ways. While the three were climbing together, Peter made a split-second decision to save Annie and himself --- a decision that resulted in the father’s death. Peter is devastated by Annie’s unwillingness to forgive him. Ironically, when they meet three years later, he must climb K2, the world’s most feared mountain, to save her life again.

O’Donnell (The Bachelor) projects an intriguing sensitivity and daring in this starring role. "There is no doubt in Peter’s mind about what he has to do," the young actor explains about the character he plays. "There’s not a chance he’s not going after her and giving it his all. If it kills him in the process, that’s fine, because the idea of living without having tried would be harder for him. His only concern is to get her out."

Tunney (End of Days) endows Annie with a refreshing individuality and independence. "A lot of times when you’re looking for roles in film as a woman, you’re the girlfriend, or the wife, or the daughter, or the appendage," she declares. "But this woman is very independent, and that’s hard to come by."

One of the big surprises in Vertical Limit is Bill Paxton’s convincing work as a villain. His calculating, penetrating looks made me shudder almost as much as those scary cliff-hanging scenes. Paxton usually appears as the hero (in films like U-571 and Twister), so it’s a shock to watch him as the evil Elliot Vaughn, a selfish entrepreneur trapped in the cave with Annie. Wisely, Paxton disguised himself with a beard for this unsympathetic role.

In addition, Scott Glenn (Absolute Power) excels as a reclusive mountain man persuaded by Peter to lead the rescue team. Glenn’s craggy face and gravelly voice seem perfect for this eccentric character. The fine supporting cast also includes: Nicholas Lea (from television’s X-Files) as another trapped mountain climber; Izabella Scorupco (Golden Eye) as a member of the rescue team in it for the money; and Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) as a courageous porter. Regrettably, although Ben Mendelsohn (Cosi) and Steve Le Marquand (Two Hands) have a great time playing comic brothers involved in the rescue, I had trouble understanding their Aussie accents.

With Vertical Limit, director Martin Campbell (The Mask of Zorro and GoldenEye) proves himself a master of the action-adventure film again. Working with cinematographer David Tattersall (The Phantom Menace), he features realistic mountain shots that seem almost three-dimensional. Since I’m afraid of heights, I even felt a bit of vertigo during some scenes. Fortunately, Campbell concentrated this time as much on relationships as on special effects and visual thrills. As a result, Vertical Limit is a movie filled with drama, suspense, and humanity.

(Released by Columbia Pictures and rated "PG-13" for intense life/death situations and brief strong language.)