IMDb > The Stunt Man (1980)
The Stunt Man
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The Stunt Man (1980) More at IMDbPro »

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The Stunt Man (1980) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.3/10   3,640 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 18% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Lawrence B. Marcus (screenplay)
Richard Rush (adaptation)
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Stunt Man on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
25 February 1981 (France) more
Tagline:
"If God could do the tricks that we can do, he'd be a happy man . . ."
Plot:
A fugitive stumbles on a movie set just when they need a new stunt man, takes the job as a way to hide out, and falls for the leading lady. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
They Never Won an Academy Award
 (From Get The Big Picture. 19 February 2009, 5:55 PM, PST)

The Best Best Actors
 (From Get The Big Picture. 16 February 2009, 6:55 PM, PST)

User Comments:
I'm gonna get caught gushing! more (66 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Peter O'Toole ... Eli Cross
Steve Railsback ... Cameron

Barbara Hershey ... Nina Franklin
Allen Garfield ... Sam (as Allen Goorwitz)

Alex Rocco ... Police Chief Jake

Sharon Farrell ... Denise
Adam Roarke ... Raymond Bailey

Philip Bruns ... Ace
Charles Bail ... Chuck Barton

John Garwood ... Gabe
Jim Hess ... Henry
John Pearce ... Garage Guard
Michael Railsback ... Burt
George Wallace ... Nina's Father
Dee Carroll ... Nina's Mother
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Additional Details

Runtime:
131 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Director Richard Rush's dream project: took 9 years to get to the screen. Filmed in 1978. Fox would not release it until 1980. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the closing scene Eli's helicopter takes off as he is talking to Cameron. However, cuts back to close-ups of Eli during the conversation reveal stationary trees behind the helicopters starboard side. more
Quotes:
Eli Cross: [after an effects shot involving a dummy has gone wrong] It's so awful, it's beautiful. I do wish I could use it.
Sam: That's all we need.
Eli Cross: Well, we need something, Sam, and damn well you know it. Something better.
Sam: Better? How better?
Eli Cross: Something less boring. Something crazier.
Sam: A dead man's boots are dropped over his own airfield out of chivalry. That's not crazy enough for you, huh?
Eli Cross: They did it in a film called "Wings." Even the dummy was bored.
more
Movie Connections:
Soundtrack:
Bits & Pieces more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
13 out of 15 people found the following comment useful.
I'm gonna get caught gushing!, 30 March 2001
9/10
Author: youremythrill from Ohio USA

One of my favorite movies of all time. Must admit that I'm a bit biased since Peter O'Toole's one of my favorite actors of all time. This movie has NEVER gotten the attention that it deserves. Maybe that's, in part, due to the difficulties involved in categorizing it. I don't even know in which section of the video store I'd start looking.

Peter O'Toole is so swell in it. I love that enigmatic character, movie director Eli Cross! Like the movie (and O'Toole, for that matter), he's so hard to cubbyhole. You like him, but you don't trust him. Like Cameron/Lucky (Steve Railsback's escaped convict character) does, you NEED to know exactly where his motives lie ... all in good time. You know Cross'll do whatever's necessary to get "the shot", but he's still got a conscience ... right? Would Cameron have been better off (read safer) just staying in jail ... hmmm?

All the action in the film circles around this question and while the viewer (and Cameron) decide what to make of Eli, it's a fun trip through the world of filmmaking (how realistic a trip, I've no idea). Great performances by O'Toole and Railsback, along with Barbara Hershey, Allen Garfield, Alex Rocco and Sharon Ferrell add so much to the suspense.

See this movie. You can feel how much fun it was for the cast to make. Look at Eli's devilish grin as he tries to soothe Lucky's worries. Try to imagine how many other movies have you sympathizing for an escaped convict. And don't worry if you don't know what to make of mad genius filmmaker Eli Cross because nobody else does either, and if they do, they ain't talkin' ... that might spoil the movie!

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time for director's cut dvd harry44mag
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