An Exercise In Nonsense

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

There's questioning one's reality and then there's bending it through a prism six ways from Sunday. "The Stuntman" is the latter, which shrouds itself in questions and stymies you at every turn. Mostly, this is a well-constructed film and the mystery keeps you actively involved. It's fascinating how many layers this thing has. But even if you're not game for this sort of side-winding, it does have Peter O'Toole, which is a joyride unto himself. His megalomaniacal director is larger than life and might just be an evil genius. But he absolutely owns this movie, and it's a ferocious performance to beat them all. Amazing stuff.7/10

Peter o Toole is spectacular in this film. It is about a Vietnam veteran (Steve Railsback) who accidentally murders the stunt man of a film being directed by Toole. Toole hires the veteran as the stunt man. But the veteran fears that Toole is trying to murder him, even as he falls in love with Toole's girlfriend (the gorgeous Barbara Hershey). This film has some of the coolest non-special effects action I've ever seen. The back ground score by Dominic Lapierre is used to great effect.It was my father's favorite film when he was in college. He recently got the DVD imported. It really is a rollicking film. The first few scenes and the title sequence are simply to die for. Great buy.

Lights, camera, FRANTIC! I saw this for the first time in a theater in 1981, so it was certainly time for a re-visit: A fugitive (and Vietnam vet, á la the 1980's formula character trait picks) from the law, stumbles upon a movie shoot and inadvertently kills its stunt man. The ruthlessly manic director agrees to shield him from the police - ONLY if he agrees to step in as the stunt man's replacement to finish the film! For any movie buff, this set-up is enough to make you drool and rub your hands together in delight.An absolute one-of-a-kind mix of sarcastic satire, dizzying action plus one of the best movie-within-a-movie gimmicks ever: An overblown WW1 war/romance epic! Top production of course, energetically unpredictable story twists and a lively soundtrack that is SO unforgettable, that I could hum its two main themes in my head even before I put the disc in... almost 30 years later! Also formidably cast, with an indelible performance of a lifetime from O'Toole. The downside though, when there is so much brain in a film like this, is the lack of heart (and subtlety) among the cold-blooded and hard-skinned cynicism, as I really don't feel much for its characters - memorable as they may be - afterward. 7 out of 10 from Ozjeppe

Right from the opening it had me taken in. The music, the shots, the action.The whole film is so taut, everything is so finely honed. It's a film about films, so it can't get away with any sloppiness. And it doesn't, it's perfect.The human side of it is touching, with the love story and the personal conflicts etc ... but the best part is the "tricks" this film plays, on its characters, but also on the audience. With Peter O'Toole as the great puppet-master, hovering in and out of shots dangling from a crane like the God he emulates.The 'stunt' sequences are legendary. I have purchased this film and it will be watched many times. To be honest I'm surprised that it has gone out of mass consumption, even after 27 years.Watch it. It ROCKS.