"The Stunt Man" DVD
Pauline Kael called "The Stunt Man" (1980) "a virtuoso piece of kinetic filmmaking," and I definitely agree. I like this movie’s quirky mix of dark comedy, drama, action, and romance, and Peter O’Toole creates a truly memorable character as Eli Cross, a tyrannical film director who has a benevolent side as well. "The Stunt Man" centers around Cameron (Steve Railsback), a man on the run from the law who stumbles onto one of Eli’s shooting locations. When Eli’s key stunt man is killed, he persuades Cameron to take the dead man’s place, agreeing to shield him from the police in return. As Cameron performs stunts for Eli’s film and becomes romantically involved with the self-absorbed leading lady (Barbara Hershey), he comes to fear that the director is going to kill him. I really like the way "The Stunt Man" depicts Eli as sometimes being god-like, while at other times he’s more like a devil.
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