Review of The Stunt Man (1980) by Kim S — 27 May 2008

I really enjoyed this movie. It was brilliant and paced like a 1970's film. The pacing is a little long, but once it all plays out, it has all the elements. It is an action-suspense-comedy-romance-drama it is everything. The biggest genre I would call this film is "behind the scenes" as we are taken on a movie set and are shown the hard and easy and fun job it entitles.

The story is interesting: an outlaw named Lucky stumbles onto a film set and is given the job of stuntman by the film's rebel director (played by Peter O'Toole) to replace a previous stuntman who was killed while performing a car stunt. With the law on his back, Lucky has no choice, but once he does a few jobs on set, he thinks that the director is not who he seems.

This was a really well shot film too. The performances were great. Peter O'Toole delivers a performance of stress and reality that also adds sentiment for his loved crew. Steve Railsback, in a role not as crazy as his Charles Manson from a few years previous plays the role of a PTS Vietnam veteran superbly. His internal struggle voyages into the darkest pits of his psyche at times, yet reveals his pain and longing for love and redemption.

In the words of a famous college professor: "If you don't see this film, you are an idiot...".