Stuntman

"And I think it's gonna be a long, long time
'Til touchdown brings me 'round again to find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh, no, no, no
I'm a rocket man
Rocket man, burning out his fuse up here alone " - Rocketman,Elton John

What would blockbusters be without their dantesque scenes, their breathtaking chases, their spectacular fight scenes? This excellent documentary shows us to what extent these men of the shadows, these stuntmen, are essential to the success of many blockbusters, whether or not they are understudies of very famous actors, each of them risking their lives in each shot. In this desire to exceed the limits indefinitely, the stunts are increasingly spectacular and allow the audience to remain breathless. However, Stuntman is not a documentary on a panorama of current stuntmen and their work and even less a making of to the glory of Hollywood studios, it is here to give the word to one of them, Eddie Braun and on a superhuman feat as dangerous as spectacular that he is about to accomplish.

Produced by executive producers Dwayne Johnson (Jungle Cruise (2021)) and Dany Garcia of Seven Bucks Productions, and directed by Kurt Mattila, Stuntman chronicles the ups and downs of veteran Hollywood stuntman Eddie Braun as he attempts what many consider to be the most dangerous stunt in history. Following in the footsteps of his childhood idol, Evel Knievel, Eddie Braun tells the story of how he survived multiple car crashes, explosions and death-defying jumps during his 30-plus year career in film and television. Now, in his mid-fifties and contemplating retirement, Braun decides to cap off an extraordinary career by recreating Evel Knievel's famous failed rocket jump in Snake River Canyon.  

Presented by Dwayne Johnson, who reminds us once again that we should not try to reproduce his stunts, the film proves to be fascinating and above all allows us to find many stuntmen who disregard their political ideas or their clans to work together to achieve a titanic feat. During the preparation of this rocket jump, Eddie Braun reminds us that the stuntmen who surround him are men of the shadows, but that the whole world knows their numerous exploits in blockbusters such as the films of Marvel Studios and other films of Sony and Universal Pictures.

We had to wait more than three years to discover this excellent documentary after its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival. That's also the number of years Eddie Braun had to wait to make his jump and be sure that all the necessary settings and tests were conclusive. We will also appreciate the humor that is quite present in this documentary, whether it is Eddie Braun who remembers one of his stunts in Manhattan Beach for the cult series The Fall Guy or in the end credits that all the stuntmen present in the picture were injured during the shooting of this film (a wink to the Humane Society that protects animals on the filming).

Of course, some might argue that making a documentary practically only about the staging of a stunt close to a human feat is perhaps not a sufficient reason. However, Stuntman is fascinating because when Eddie Braun talks about his job, he does it with a real tenderness, knowing full well that a lack of preparation, a lack of luck can be fatal. We come out of this documentary film with a new look at these stuntmen, most of whom have names we don't know but who prove to be very important to continue to make us dream by going to the movies.

Stuntman
Written and directed by Kurt Mattila
Produced by Kurt Mattila, Eddie Braun, Steven Golebiowksi
Cinematography : Keith Dunkerley
Edited by Kurt Mattila
Music by Jeremy Zuckerman
Production companies : Seven Bucks Productions, Driven Pictures, Disney+ Original Films
Distributed by Endeavor Content, Disney+
Release date : September 20, 2018 (Los Angeles), July 23, 2021 (United States)
Running time : 87 minutes

Seen on July 23, 2021 on Disney+.

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