The Stunt Man . Nashville Scene . 03-02-98

The Stunt Man

DIRECTED BY: Richard Rush

REVIEWED: 03-02-98

The biggest cheat of The Game was the way Michael Douglas' extreme paranoia turned out to be completely founded. Much cooler is Richard Rush's 1980 cult classic, wherein what's real and what's make-believe remain tantalizingly ambiguous up to the final frame. The film's main attraction, though, is Peter O'Toole's witty romp as a megalomaniacal director who takes a desperate, fugitive criminal (Steve Railsback) and turns him into one committed stunt man. Railsback is as good as dead anyway, so what's the harm in squeezing every last drop of blood out of him for the camera? When the tape ends, you'll be pleased to find that this is one puzzle that doesn't fit together neatly.

--Noel Murray

Other Films by Richard Rush
Psych-Out

Film Vault Suggested Links
Suicide Kings
Day at the Beach
The This World

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