← Apex Mountain

sex, lies, and videotape

1989 · directed by Steven Soderbergh · 101 min
24,858 feet · Prominence
536th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw51

Lifetime worldwide gross $25m, re-releases included; about $66m in 2026 money.

Rank3,694 of 11,051In 198947 of 156

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise93

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics91 baseAwards39 signal → +2 lift

Oscars1 nominated Original Screenplay
Golden Globes3 nominated Lead acting, Supporting acting, Screenplay
BAFTAs2 nominated Supporting acting, Original Screenplay
How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy58

Judged directly: Launched Sundance and the American indie era.

Verdict58 of 100IMDb7.2 from 64kWikipedia52k views a monthAge37 years

On the listsNational Film RegistryCriterion Collectionevidence, not an input to the score
Scored beside it · 640 of 4,039 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 51 praise 93 legacy 58averages 67, placing it at24,858 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

Whose apex this is

▲ James Spader

In these careers — elevation for this film

James Spader20,129 ftAndie MacDowell19,335 ftLaura San Giacomo18,772 ftPeter Gallagher18,525 ft