Stunts (1977)

After a stunt man dies while he is involved in the making of a motion picture, his brother takes his place in order to find out what really happened.

Director:

Mark L. Lester

Writers:

Raymond Lofaro (story), Dennis Johnson (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert Forster, Fiona Lewis, Ray Sharkey

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Forster	...	Glen Wilson
Fiona Lewis	...	B.J. Parswell
Ray Sharkey	...	Paul Salerno
Joanna Cassidy	...	Patti Johnson
Bruce Glover	...	Chuck Johnson
Richard Lynch	...	Pete Lustig
Darrell Fetty	...	Dave Allison
James Luisi	...	Alvin Blake
Candice Rialson	...	Judy Blake
Malachi Throne	...	Earl O'Brien
Janet Hadland	...	Doctor
H.B. Haggerty	...	Redneck
Dave Shelley	...	Jack
Gary Davis	...	Greg Wilson (as Gary Charles Davis)
Alex Kubik	...	Gas Station Attendant

Storyline

Expert stuntman Glen Wilson is called in to finish stunts for a movie plagued by production problems. It turns out that his younger brother Greg, also a stuntman, was killed in an accident during filming or so it seemed. En route to the shooting location, he picks up B.J. Parswell, an ambitious journalist who's doing a story on stuntmen. Things get hairy when his stuntmen pals are getting killed one by one during the stunts.

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Plot Keywords:

adultery | stunt | visit | opening a door | violence | 

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Taglines:

To hell with the dialogue. Let's break something.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 December 1977 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Stunts, the Deadly Game

Filming Locations:

Madonna Inn, 100 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mark Fleischman Productions,New Line Cinema,Spiegel-Bergman Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the "burning house" stunt scene for the movie-within-the-movie, there is a close-up of a crew member's hand, holding a stopwatch, resting on the script. The script is actually the script for the movie Stunts.

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Quotes

Earl O'Brien: Can you fellas live with that gag?
[the film crew nods in agreement]
Earl O'Brien: Well, I can't. We'll do it again.

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Connections

Referenced in Adjust Your Tracking (2013)

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Soundtracks

Love, Love, Love
Written by Michael Kamen
Sung by Jimmie Mack

User Reviews

Stunt packed, but unexceptional 70s movie.

In the late 70s and early 80s, action films didn't rely on CGI to wow the audiences; stunts were what packed in the crowds—real stunts performed by real stuntmen.

Anything with cars flying 30 feet through the air would be guaranteed to fill the theatres and the limits were pushed by these 'fall guys' as to what they would do in order to impress. Stunts—AKA 'Who Is Killing the Stuntmen?' AKA 'The Deadly Game' (UK video title)—tells of one such guy, Glen Wilson (Robert Forster), who becomes involved in the making of a movie after his brother mysteriously dies performing a stunt. Suspecting foul play, he searches for clues between filming, aided by a feisty female reporter (Fiona Lewis).

Director Mark L. Lester, who later helmed the 80s 'classics' Class of 1984 and Commando, packs the film with all manner of death defying feats, but struggles to make anything special from the run-of-the-mill script. Despite a good performance from the ever-reliable Forster and good support from a raft B-movie regulars (including the great Richard Lynch), the result feels very much like a made-for-TV movie, and lacks the grittiness I was hoping for.

Stunts is enjoyable on a nostalgic level (if you love the vibe of 70s flicks, then there is some fun to be had from the movie's general atmosphere), and it does contain a few fairly impressive action sequences, but I found that, even at a running time of less than an hour and a half, the film only just managed to keep my attention.