INTO THIN AIR, based on Jon Krakauer's best seller, is not an easy film to watch.  The brutal reality of such an endeavor is brought home in the hopelessness and grief that the crew endures and in the lost lives of five of its members.  I for one cannot understand anyone's reason for going on such a frightening expedition; some of the climbers weren't even experienced enough to climb ladders, let alone this monstrous peak.  Although the script doesn't flesh out the characters enough for us to truly empathize with their emotions, there is enough real drama in some of the characters to inspire such empathy.  Rob (played quite well by Nat Parker) is an interesting character and his final scene with his pregnant wife, is heartbreaking, and acted remarkably well.  Christopher McDonald doesn't bring enough real life to his Krakauer performance, hence we lose a lot of impact in his emotional narrative.