The Climb

Title: The Climb, Directed by Bob Swaim, Written by Vince McKewin ("Fly Away Home"), Executive Produced by Mark McClafferty, Robert Réa, Produced by Pamela Edwards McClafferty, Mark McClafferty, Tom Parkinson

Rating: 10/10

The Climb is a movie that comes around every once in a while. I am utterly shocked it did not get a wide release in theaters. I'm glad I found it, thank goodness for DVDs nowadays.

The Climb has everything you would want from a good, classic movie. It has action, drama, humor, stellar acting, and a strong message. It's the type of movie that stays with you long after you watch it.

In Baltimore 1959, Danny (Gregory Smith of TV's Everwood) dreams of climbing a tower to prove his bravery. His father Earl (Goodnight & Good luck's David Strathairn) did not enlist in the war so he is shunned by the town as the coward. Subsequently, Danny befriends Old Chuck Langer (John Hurt, in one of his finest performances) who has come home to try and find a way to die.

It is this friendship where they each learn from each other the meaning of courage. The film asks the question, what is bravery and courage and how is it defined for each man. It really gets you to think.

I was surprised how Gregory Smith was so young in this! You can really see why he became the star he is today. He is so good in this! If you are a fan of Smith like I am, you definitely have to check out The Climb.

Singer and actress Marla Sokoloff (from Whatever It Takes with James Franco and Shane West) is Smith's sister in this. She looks so different from the teen movies I watched her in. My favorite part with her is when she meets the town bully. She is awesome!!! The Climb is a movie for everyone. Kids will like watching Gregory pull hijinks and pranks with his friend. When he climbs that HIGH tower, it really gets your heart racing! John Hurt and David are at the top of their game. Each man is on a journey of defining courage for themselves.

The story has a message everyone can take something from. And those are the best movies in my opinion. I highly recommend The Climb.

While some aspects of the plot of "The Climb" may be predictable, this is a character film and the characters are well drawn and well acted. The lead actor, the young Gregory Smith, is especially excellent in the role of a seemingly typical youth of 1959, eager to display his courage in a typical escapade of boys his age: the climbing of a decommissioned radio tower to compete with other kids in the Baltimore neighborhood where the story is set. He is complemented by veteran actor John Hurt as a crusty old neighbor who seeks solace in drink until Gregory's "12-year-old" character comes into his life via an arrow through his window! The two become pals of sorts as Hurt helps young Gregory in his aim to be the first kid to climb the rusty tower, slated for demolition soon. This time-is-of-the-essence element moves the story along as it is also part of Hurt's dying character. This is what keeps the vignettes of 50s America and side lines of the peripheral characters in proper scope and duration. Perhaps the most multilevel performance is that of Gregory's father played by David Stratharin, a man of evident decentness in his portrayal, and, one would think from this, in his personal life as well.

Gregory Smith went on to other films, and is perhaps best known in the TV series "Everwood", but he is at his most attractive and engaging in this role in "The Climb." Dave Stratharin has done many fine performances as his page on this site makes clear, but this is one of his most nuanced roles as others have noted. We could have done without the boobs scene between Hurt's daughter-in-law and the priest, but I suppose it was supposed to lighten up a rather sober story line, and with its omission, this is a also a good film for kids. This flick is neither high drama nor a laugh fest, and it may not be a classic, but it is thoroughly enjoyable as the rich character study it is.

Gregory Smith is a youngster who has a goal to climb to the top of a very tall radio tower. He befriends an old man, John Hurt, whose goal is to die. Together they cooperate in order to reach their objectives. There is a subplot involving David Strathairn, the boy's father, who is perceived as a coward, because he didn't fight in World War 2. This simple story is well told, with good character development, and fine acting. This is a little beyond typical family entertainment, and more suited to adult audiences. The climactic climb is exciting, and in the end, not only are everyone's goals accomplished, but some important lessons are learned. - MERK

I'm very sorry Mr. Jacobs found this movie so dismal, and incorrect. I for one found it very much a portrayal of what life was like in the late 50's and early 60's, at least for me, and my brother. Of course, we can't really speak to what Baltimore looked like since we lived in Philadelphia, but I really didn't tune this in because I expected it to be a documentary of Maryland landscape in '58 or '59, so maybe I missed something. England never much looked like what we saw in Sweeney Todd either, but what can you say?

As for the plot, I was thrilled. The story line has been described at length by others, so I won't waste the space on that. I did find a couple of scenes so riveting that I'll never lose them. The first was John Hurt describing the effect of absolute exhaustion and searing heat being assuaged by a Argentine lady sliding an ice cold beer across the bar to him. Having worked many an hour in the sun out near Barstow, CA in the summer, I could truly understand and appreciate the imagery of that dialogue with no extra effort at all.

The next was the scene where Strathairn's character has had enough of the neighborhood drunk firing his weapon into the sky in the middle of the night and walks across the street and clocks him good. A good man, pushed to the limit, can't take any more and does something about it. Well acted, and very tense exchange between the two men. And Mr. Jacobs? You think that 13 years was enough time that everyone would have forgotten a "draft dodger" and let it go? Think again. It damn sure would have been a roadblock for the little boy to play on the VFW sponsored baseball team.

My favorite scene of this movie though, with no doubt, was watching the look on the kids face when the apparatus Hurt designed begins to haul his little body up the inside of the tower in a flash. Man that was something, you could almost feel the wind in your own hair and watch the ground recede below you.

We had a similar dare target where I grew up. A huge natural gas line spanned a river, and the dare was to walk across it without using your hands to hold on to the guy wires. Up to the time we moved from there (1967) no one ever had. Maybe that's why this one resonated so deeply with me.

I thought it was wonderful, with just enough surprises and laughter to make it not too heavy, which it damn sure could have been.

I think this is one of those hidden gems that make you just delighted you stumbled across. I'm glad I saw this, and have it in my DVD library.

I saw this film at a friend's house on satellite television, and I have to say, the story isn't one of the better ones I've heard. Just look at this:

12-year-old Danny (Gregory Smith) is tracked, because his father didn't join the Korea War. To proof, that he is just as brave as normal kids, he tries to climb a 60 meters tall radio tower....

What a story, huh? But I was impressed how the actors made this film viewable to the bitter (!) end, especially Gregory Smith, he is a wonderful kid actor!