Thursday, June 19, 2008

Stunt Man

Author(s): D.W. Dillon
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada

"Stunt Man"

Directed by Arthur Penn
Written by John Milius
Music by Anthony Marinelli
Cinematography by Bruce Surtees
Edited by Rick Shaine
Costume Designs by April Ferry
Make-Up by Doug Cress and Cheryl Nick
Art Direction by Emilia Roux
Produced by John Milius and Allan Coulter

Main Cast

Mickey Rourke - Crash Benson
Tilda Swinton - Loretta
Michael Wincott - Freddy
Caroline Dhavernas - Sloopy Benson-McCoy
Josh Charles - John McCoy
Bruce Greenwood - Det. Kennedy
Dean Winters - Det. Garfield

Tagline: "The stunt man always falls twice"

Synopsis: Meet Crash Benson. A cool but over-the-hill veteran stunt man who's fallen on hard times. His aged body has taken it's toll and it's hard to find work in 1970's Hollywood. A time when action films came few and far between. His haggard live-in girlfriend, Loretta, a make-up artist, constantly pressures him to find work as a stage hand for her movie sets, while his pregnant daughter, Sloopy, is a subject of spousal abuse from her smarmy husband, John McCoy. With Crash's family on the brink of falling apart, his dingy shack of a house crumbling to dust, his girlfriend on the outs, and a career down the toilet, Crash is down and desperate.

When the Screen Stunt Actors Guild goes on strike, Crash feverishly auditions for films as an actor but his stuttering problems, and inexperience as an actor hinders his every chance. "We'll call you..." is a phrase too often heard, as he starts to lose all hope.

While crying in his beer, a blast from the past enters the bar, childhood friend, Freddy. Having recently returned from 4 consecutive tours in Vietnam, he's anxious to get back into the game. But Freddy's games aren't Hollywood at all. They're all too real and all too illegal. The pair hatch a scheme to rob small low risk banks, using Crash's stunt driving and Freddy's military expertise. For disguises, they talk Loretta into masking their faces for a more youthful look, for which she believes would be used to help with their auditions as "actors".

Successful are their first few attempts, but the money is chump change compared to Freddy's ambitions of wealth. The cops are closing in on their identities after Freddy leaves a dead teller at the scene. Eccentric police detectives Kennedy and Garfield, a couple of film-buff cops, are hot on their trail. Crash wants out after settling most of his debts, but the guilt from the robberies and the dead bank teller weigh heavily on his conscience. As Loretta grows suspicious, Freddy becomes out of control, threatening his loved ones and demanding Crash heist one last bank. Only this bank is staked out by the detectives, with an all too familiar teller, abusive husband to his daughter, John McCoy. Crash, once again, must risk every bone in his body, only this time there is no safety harness.

What the Press would say:

"There hasn't been much of a market for what I can do. I'm not into outer space epics or youth pictures.", said legendary director, Arthur Penn, who hasn't directed a feature film in 18 years. His return to film is nothing short of brilliance. Penn's "Stunt Man" is a modern day western of sorts, set in the 1970's, that tells the story of a struggling stunt man who resorts to robbing banks, ultimately getting in way over his head. Penn masterfully pieces together two genres of suspense and drama, that plays a backdrop to his fine-tuned developed characters. Each has a purpose that drive the story to heavenly highs and heartbreaking woes. Eccentric screenwriter, John Milius composes his best script since Apocalypse Now and hits his notes with precision where each death has an impact and each decision has a consequence. And with depth, comes a phenomenal prose, that leaves no word without merit.

Amidst a comeback, Penn cast Mickey Rourke in the title role of washed up 'stunt man' Crash Benson. This is a character that experienced success only to be brought down by age. He finds himself in a world that has moved on without him. His dive to drastic measures is warranted because we can't help but feel bad for a man who will risk his life for the greater good, whether it be his job or his family. This is Rourke's bread and butter role that should catapult him to that long lost Oscar. He brings back "the cool" that so many fell in love with from his previous films in The Pope of Greenwich Village, Rumble Fish, and Diner. His vulnerability is where his performance really captures our hearts and shows the range we always knew he had but only showed glimpses of in Barfly and Angel Heart. Mickey Rourke's love for his abused daughter, Sloopy (played by the delicate Caroline Dhavernas) is met with truth and honesty. Her mere role plays as a conscience to Rourke's Crash Benson, so when we meet her on screen she is nothing short of an angel. Michael Wincott, as the best bad friend, Freddy plays the devil on his shoulder in contrast to the angel that his is daughter. His smooth talking erratic behavior brings more out of this character actor than any role he has played to date. These are supporting characters that pave the road for our hero, and along the journey is Crash's girlfriend, Loretta who played by Tilda Swinton who taps into the independent woman of the 70's with fierce haste and skepticism.

Penn mixes the action of Bonnie & Clyde, with a sensitivity of The Miracle Worker and creates a picture that hits it's audience with entertainment, while appealing to our sensibilities. In the end, we care for the characters and where they might be going. It's not that a film leaves us vulnerable to our emotions. When awards season sets upon us, we'll remember this film. Not because of it's acclaimed director or comeback actors, but for it's memorable script that produces a story we couldn't help but wanna see over and over again.

Best Picture
Best Director - Arthur Penn
Best Actor - Mickey Rourke
Best Supporting Actor - Michael Wincott
Best Supporting Actress - Tilda Swinton
Best Supporting Actress - Caroline Dhavernas
Best Original Screenplay - John Milius
Best Cinematography - Bruce Surtees
Best Editing - Rick Shaine
Best Costume Design - April Ferry
Best Make-Up - Doug Cress and Cheryl Nick
Best Score - Anthony Marinelli
Best Art Direction - Emilia Roux

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