THE STUNT MAN (1980) - ♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Richard Rush

 

Written by - Lawrence B. Marcus, Richard Rush (based on a novel by Paul Brodeur)

 

Starring - Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey

 

 

 

"A fugitive stumbles on a film set, falls for the leading lady and becomes a stunt double. Rush's cult classic is arguably one of the most remarkable and entertaining satires and black comedies about films and filmmaking as it has that extra bite. However, apart from taking obvious digs at the world of cinema, it intelligently refers to other things and particularly the Vietnam War, an element that greatly contributes to a less restricted viewpoint on what really differentiates the fact with the fiction - or in this world the cinematic truth and the non-cinematic one. Apart from its cleverness, the film is genuinely entertaining, exciting and very often funny thanks to a great screenplay but also some ace performances by the cast headed by a magnificent Peter O'Toole. In one of his most memorable turns, he plays the part of the director, a puppet master whose obsession and suavity make him elegantly dangerous."

 

 

Drama, USA