Vertical Limit (2000) is an action movie/thriller directed by New Zealander Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, The Mask of Zorro) starring, among others, Chris O'Donnell, Bill Paxton, Robin Tunney and Scott Glenn. It narrates the attempted ascent of K2 by a group of alpinists, led by an ambitious billionaire. But the climbing party gets into serious jeopardy after an avalanche occurs, killing some of the members and trapping others inside a crevasse. At the base, a rescue team is formed to rediscover their buried mates. The undertaking soon becomes a race against time as the victims run out of supplies and medicine against altitude sickness.

Tagline: Hold your breath.

Despite receiving mixed critical reaction, one supporter of the film at the time of its release was film critic David Manning who gave the film critical praise. In late 2001, however, Manning was revealed to be fictitious, created by Sony to fake publicity for the film.