7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.8 |
Cameron is a young veteran who is running from the police when he comes upon a movie set and accidentally causes the death of a stunt man. When Cameron explains his situation to the director Eli Cross, the eccentric man agrees to conceal him from the police on the condition that he take the stuntman's place. Before long, Cameron realizes that the autocratic director is taking advantage of him by putting him in deadly danger.
Starring: Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey, Allen Garfield, Alex RoccoDrama | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Romance | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
None
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Critics have often been blamed for dooming various films with withering critiques, but rarely if ever are they congratulated for “saving,” or at least attempting to save, a film. Richard Rush, writer-director of The Stunt Man, is on record thanking several critics for helping to get the word out about his 1980 film which opened small and would have quickly disappeared had it not been for the efforts of some writers back in the day. (Star Peter O’Toole has quipped that The Stunt Man “wasn’t released, it escaped”). While some of these reviewers were frankly second string writers (if even that) for regional papers, none other than Pauline Kael came to the film’s defense in a rather vociferous frenzy that saw her insisting everyone had missed the boat in understanding the film’s intent (not the first time Ms. Kael has alleged that) and that The Stunt Man was a largely undiscovered masterpiece. But the prevailing critical commentary of the day was fairly uniform in pronouncing the film interesting, but ultimately a misfire. Has 20/20 hindsight changed anything? Did Kael or the majority of critics have it right? Though The Stunt Man has gone on to become something of a cult item, it seems to be a cult of perception rather than reality (quite ironic considering one of The Stunt Man’s principal themes). People think that The Stunt Man is a masterpiece because they’ve heard people proclaim it so. But then they actually watch the thing and usually come to the conclusion that, well, it’s an interesting misfire.
Despite having an A-list star, The Stunt Man was not a generously budgeted feature, and it has never been a very pretty looking film. That same rough ambience is fully on display in this new AVC encoded 1080p transfer (in 1.78:1) Blu-ray. The film suffers from a number of issues, including overall softness (bordering on downright fuzziness in midrange and long shots), readily apparent flicker and some registration issues that see colors shifting slightly both between scenes and actually within scenes at times. The source elements are also slightly damaged, with scratches and flecks of white dotting the landscape with fair regularity. The good news is no DNR seems to have been applied to this release, as grain structure is not just intact, it virtually overwhelms the film at times. The bad news is there's some fairly aggressive edge enhancement on display here that rings things like tree limbs in ugly halos. There's a nice uptick in color and saturation from the DVD release of The Stunt Man, but there's really nothing here that pops with clarity and precision the way the best contemporary BDs and extensive restorations do. However, there's little doubt that this is due at least in part to the original film elements, which have always been soft and rather drab looking, rather than any inherent authoring or encoding issues.
The Stunt Man's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is fairly effective, though it doesn't offer a wealth of immersion. There are some well placed sound effects through this movie which the 5.1 repurposing attempt to make more cinematic, with sometimes spotty results. The opening scene has a great panning effect with the car that seems to be running down Cameron, and later the many beach scenes (filmed outside of the iconic Coronado Hotel) offer a nicely spacious soundscape that has a breadth that the original soundtrack never did. But the bulk of this film is fairly resolutely anchored in the front channels, so don't expect an aural spectacular here. Fidelity is excellent, if occasionally a bit on the boxy side. The overall mix is very good, though the underscore, which is a bit annoying at times, intrudes a bit too much for my personal taste. For the record, the film's original mix is offered in a standard Dolby Digital 2.0 presentation.
All of the supplements from the previously released Special Edition DVD have been ported over to this release (and upgraded to either 1080i or full 1080p), with a number of new items thrown in just for good measure. The returning items are:
The more cynical folks out there might claim The Stunt Man is a film for poseurs, which is certainly fitting, considering its deals with the word of filmmaking. But that's a perhaps too pat an assessment. The problem with The Stunt Man is that it presents a fascinating, even intriguing, premise but doesn't fully capitalize on it. The film has a too slapdash quality for its own good, and though it offers a fantastic Peter O'Toole performance, that's not enough to completely overcome the film's inherent failings. While this is certainly no neglected masterpiece, it is an often enjoyable romp. It's hobbled by a certain amateurish quality which pervades its direction and even cinematography and editing, but for some, that may actually add to its strange allure. It's an interesting misfire, to be sure, but that's a lot more than many mainstream successes can claim. Warts and all, for the majesty of O'Toole if nothing else, The Stunt Man is Recommended.
1983
1973
2K Remaster
1974
2024
1928
1967
1944
1966
Pauline à la plage
1983
The Collector
1967
2013
Tirez sur le pianiste
1960
Baisers volés
1968
Domicile conjugal
1970
L'amour en fuite
1979
2003
Conte d'été / A Summer's Tale
1996
2019
緋牡丹博徒 / Hibotan bakuto
1968
1927