Credit: Cardinal Films, Wild Atlantic Pictures, Mongrel Media
written and directed by Michael Dowse, starring Jay Baruchel, Ed Helms, Ben Foster, Laurence Leboeuf, Joe Cobden, Marc Beaupre
You never know when your life will end. Few think of it, really digest what it means to no longer be. Even fewer run toward it, chased by the dream of living on by doing one great thing that will cement them forever in history. It's a pretty damn small number more interested in legacy than safety that drives toward death as a stunt driver in a rocket car.
Ken Carter had a dream to have his name live on by doing bigger stunts than his rival, Evel Knievel. Guess how that turned out if you recognize one name over another. The Canadian stunt driver had his dream realized in this movie telling the story of how he wanted to jump the St. Lawrence River in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While trying that act, he tests his and his team's commitment to the dream and to living one more day knowing there was a river that could be jumped in a Lincoln outfitted with a rocket engine.
A damn well acted and told story of struggle, commitment, and sheer crazy, The Stunt Driver is one of those rare stories about a man intent on destruction that you can't help but root for until he crashes and burns.
Check it out.
Plot Summary
Stunt driver Ken Carter sets himself up to make a historic jump one mile across the St. Lawrence River. Along the way he gathers folks around him to build the car, build the ramp, pay for the whole thing, and support his vision. And give a big fuck you to Evel Knievel.
Characters
Ken Carter (Baruchel) - a brash stunt driver looking to do something big so he will be remembered. Baruchel knocks it out of the park.
Dick Keller (Helms) - a rocket surgeon building a car to launch a dude one mile over a river in one of Ed Helms best roles.
Evel Knievel (Foster) - I don't know the man, but I heard he's a stuntman and a coward. He's also played by Ben Foster, quietly one of the best actors in Hollywood.
Gloria (Leboeuf) - Ken's wife who follows him around like a parent hoping their kid isn't the one starting the fights. A quiet role filled with talent.
Bob Fortier (Cobden) - documentary film maker following Ken and his crew as they attempt to do the possible but deadly. Near the end, I noticed how well Cobden did with the role.
Danny Lafortune (Beaupre) - Ken's protege, a young and hungry guy who is treated like a toddler despite being in his forties. Or it's just the 70s and people looked like that. A small but steady part played well.
Setting
1976-1983, various places in Canada and United States
St. Lawrence River - site of the one mile jump that eventually has a big ass ramp and the setting of various moments of humor and catharsis.
Favorite Scenes (spoilers because I have thoughts and wanna talk)
Opening background - Set to Carter being hypnotized on a radio show, we get an overview of Ken's history not fitting in until he started racing cars and doing stunts.
"Books are for nerds. Bandages are for pussies." - sums it up, really.
"I found a place where everyone remembered my name." - The first real moment of heart that's quickly brushed aside for machismo.
About swimming: "The thought of it disgusts me." - Just made me laugh.
General about the documentary style and the meta narrative - Ken is followed around by a crew for around five years lead by director Bob who claim not to interfere just document, but they become part of the family wanting Ken to succeed.
opposing directors and film crews - When ABC brings in their own crew, hilarity ensues as the "professionals" throw their muscle around
confronting each other after Danny's jump - After the disaster and Ken not knowing what was happening, the film crew comes to get Ken's take. The back and forth about them documenting versus interfering when things could have been stopped is a little heartbreaking. You could see Ken feels betrayed. They knew about Danny taking his place, they didn't tell him, and he could not stop it.
inviting Bob to come down and see the next jump - A heartbreaking phone call as Ken just wants his friends around but can't say that, so he offers to have them film his upcoming jump despite the crew having moved on.
Going over the car, the ramp, and various hazards
"You got good dental records?" - Said good naturedly by Dick, but it's honestly a valid question based on the stupid shit they are attempting.
Too small suit while getting in the car - Ken borrows Danny's suit and can't move very well, making getting into the car through the sunroof difficult.
Dick's fix is both pragmatic and hilarious: "Take it off. If it blows you'll be dead anyway."
250 mile per hour test and aftermath - Dick wants to test the man as much as the car, so he tells Ken he will be going 200mph but sets the car to 250. Afterward, Ken vomits and is shaking, knowing that for the jump he'll have to go 280mph. Sets up both the danger in the jump for the audience and for Ken himself.
Evel Knievel and Ken - the first backbone relationship of the movie. While Evel is only in a few scenes, he stands out as the more cultured and prepared and therefore a snob to Ken's slob.
When asked about his relationship, we set Evel up with Ken's words:"Mutual respect, but he's full of shit and a coward." Says more about Ken than Evel.
Meeting about the ramp alone and how Evel quit a jump "buckets of shame." - On the surface it's two competitors having a heart to heart or a mentor talking to a junior, but it's really just two assholes sharing their ideas on machismo and following through on the crazy bullshit they do for a living.
Last jump - a pure harrowing moment of the movie that just drops (pun not intended). Ken's last jump is not the jump we've been seeing the whole time. It's dangerous, but small and doable, and that makes it that much more heartbreaking.
going into the sky looking back at all those below - When time slows and the world allows for someone to take stock while hurling hundreds of miles an hour in a rocket car over a pond, there's a beauty found only in small moments of profound elation. Ken in the sky seeing his life behind him, looking back, is the theme of the film and a beautiful moment.
The ambulance after with Dick is honestly heartbreaking and an image of how Ken impacted his friends. Dick went from "I want no part of this" to "I should have taught you how to swim. We could have just swam."
Message to Gloria - The real backbone of the movie and the relationship that got sidelined the most in the narrative because there was so much else. Yet it's the most honest and real relationship as they are not perfect. They support and love one another, but Ken puts his vision first. It's all acceptance after that.
This is just a killer line for any romantic out there. She was where he was aiming to finish, his end and safe place to be. "You are what I was aiming for. You were my rose."
Ending footage of the real man - Nothing really to add, just nice additions to the film to solidify that this wild asshole did exist. That people believed in him and his crazy ass dream. Those who made the movie and by extension us in the audience who have seen it honor and remember his name. That's kinda hopeful in a way.
Discussion Questions
How much about Canada do you understand? Did the accent confuse you? When do you think you'll learn to speak Canadian?
Ever set up a ramp on the garage and had your little brother test it first and then had to explain to your mom what the hell you were thinking on the way to the dentist?
Do you have a rose? Someone or something to come home to at night? A safe landing spot where you can say "holy shit I survived my own bullshit?"
Imagine a movie is made out of your life after your untimely death due to the crazy lifestyle you lead. Who plays the man in the shadows that mocks your death with a biopic?
Ed Helms seems like a great guy. What do you think he smells like?
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