Other Titles • The Stunt Man • Der Lange Tod des Stuntmans Cameron (1981)
Synopses for The Stunt Man (1980)
1.
An escaped convict accidentally destroys a stunt shot while a movie is being filmed. When the driver dies in the subsequent car crash, the director of the film decides to quickly replace the driver with the convict, thus saving them both from the police and setting up explosive dramatic ironies between the real world and the illusory world of film-making. O'Toole is brilliant in this brilliant film. Academy Award Nominations: 3, including Best Director, Best Actor--Peter O'Toole, Best (Adapted) Screenplay.
(16 votes)
2.
The "lost" sleeper hit of 1980 has since become one of the most revered cult movies of all time, largely due to its bawdy, irreverent story about the art and artifice of filmmaking and an outrageously clever performance by Peter O'Toole. As megalomaniacal film director Eli Cross, O'Toole plays a larger-than-life figure whose ability to manipulate reality is like a power-trip narcotic. The focus of his latest mind game is a fugitive (Steve Railsback) recruited to replace a stuntman killed during a recent on-set accident. In return for protective sanctuary, the fugitive takes a crash course in stunt work but soon discovers that he's the paranoid player in a game he can't control, with the dictatorial director making up the rules. Or is he? The Stunt Man is a game of its own, played through the fantasy of filmmaking, and half the fun of watching the movie comes from sharing the stuntman's paranoid confusion. Barbara Hershey has a smart, sexy supporting role as a lead actress who won't submit to her director's seemingly devious behavior; but it's clearly O'Toole who steals the show. Director Richard Rush adds to the movie's maverick appeal--in a career plagued by struggles against the mainstream studio system, Rush hasn't made a better movie before or since. The Stunt Man clearly represents the potential of his neglected talent. --Jeff Shannon
Additional features Richard Rush leads a joyous ensemble of cast members recollecting the making of the prized and maligned production on the DVD's commentary track. Two deleted scenes are included along with production photos. Production and ad art is also shown from initial sketches to the final poster. In addition, Rush shares his struggles in detailed notes on the DVD-ROM script. The print and sound have never been better than on this DVD, which has been digitally remastered with THX certification. --Doug Thomas
(15 votes)
3.
Vietnam veteran Cameron (Steve Railsback) is on the run from the police when he stumbles onto the set of a war movie directed by megalomaniac Eli Cross (Peter O'Toole). But when the young fugitive is forced to replace a dead stunt man, he falls in love with the movie's leading lady (Barbara Hershey) while trying to avoid getting arrested or killed. Is Eli trying to capture Cameron's death on film? And what happens to a paranoid stunt man when illusion and reality change places? Released in 1980, this innovative comedy/drama/action thriller has become one of the most acclaimed cult hits of our time. The Stunt Man has been newly transferred from original negative materials and is loaded with exclusive extras, all personally compiled by director/co-screenwriter Richard Rush.
(15 votes)
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