Movie: Skyscraper

To download all resources as a PDF, click here.

SYNOPSIS

Former FBI hostage rescue team leader and war veteran Will Sawyer now assesses security for skyscrapers. On assignment in Hong Kong at the world’s largest and most futuristic skyscraper, he suddenly finds the building ablaze and discovers he has been framed for it. A wanted man on the run, Will must find those responsible, clear his name and rescue his family, who are trapped inside the building.

Skyscraper does a fairly decent job of humanising someone as impressive as the Rock by giving him a prosthetic leg and a history of failure. What is perhaps even more impressive (and rare in Hollywood) is that the Rock’s disability isn’t played on as a weakness; in fact, his prosthetic leg helps him out in several narrow scrapes along the way.

The clip this session focuses on sees the Rock needing to climb up the outside of the skyscraper to reach a control panel. But with only rope and duct tape to hand he is hopelessly at risk. With a crowd gathered below to watch, he must battle against gravity and his own fears to achieve his objective and get back inside the building. Yes, it’s completely preposterous, but there is enough tension to keep everyone interested. You could even stop the clip at the tensest moments to ask the group what they think might happen next.

DISCUSS

After showing the clip as a stimulus, break into small discussion groups (you may wish to have a designated discussion leader for each group) and pose the following questions:

• What is the most exciting stunt you’ve ever seen in a film or in real life? How did it make you feel when you watched it?
• What emotions do you think were being felt during the clip? Do you think added danger makes someone feel more or less emotion? What is the biggest risk you have taken in life? (It doesn’t have to be a physical stunt!)
• How do you think Will’s wife felt during the clip? Is it difficult to watch others taking risks in life?
• After discussing the first set of questions, read 2 Kings 7:3-11. (The whole chapter would be better if time allows. You may also want to give the context first.) Return to your groups to discuss the next set of questions:

How would you describe the characters with leprosy in this story?

• Is there a moral we can learn here?
• Where examples of risk-taking do we see in the story?
• Should Christians take more risks in life, or should we make sure we are safe and secure?

If you have the time, why not watch the whole film so you can view the clip in context?