The Stunt Man has few, if any, equals. It is a film of a film being made and the blurring of what is 'real' and what is 'fantasy' will keep the viewer absorbed, fascinated and, at times, frustrated. The Stunt Man encapsulates much of what film is all about - illusion, make-believe, romance, control and obsession.

The Stunt Man is based on Paul Brodeur's novel of the same name. Director Richard Rush, in love with the text, scribed the screenplay in the early 70s, and for much of the decade found difficulty impressing producers. Rush was known for modest though successful works of softcore exploitation. During this time he often called himself Eli Cross - the same name as the director character played by Peter O'Toole in The Stunt Man. Incidentally, the film being filmed in the film is called Devil's Squadron (look at the t-shirts of the production crew). Prior to The Stunt Man, Rush's best-known release under his own name was Freebie & The Bean and he was also responsible for such titles as Hells Angels On Wheels (with Jack Nicholson), The Savage Seven and Psyche Out.

On its release the film was a huge success with the critics but still failed to make any impression at the box-office. Much of this failure was the lack of available prints and anyone interested in delving deeper in to the intriguing history of the film is well recommended to see the documentary - The Sinister Saga of the Making of The Stunt Man - that comes as part of the excellent DVD package released by Anchor Bay Entertainment.

The film boast one of Peter O'Toole's best performances, Railsback has never done better work than he does in this film and Barbara Hershey is also very impressive and looks radiant. The story is told from the viewpoint of Cameron (Railsback). Cameron is a Vietnam vet and is on the run from the law. During an escape he tries to thumb a lift and the consequences are startling. Finding himself on the set of a war film, and blamed for the death of a stuntman, Cameron is taken under the wing and protection of the Director, the megalomaniac Eli Cross (O'Toole). It is interesting to note that O'Toole based his character on David Lean with whom O'Toole had experience from Lawrence of Arabia. Cameron takes on the role of the stunt man he 'killed' and starts to fall for the leading lady, Nina (Hershey). As filming progresses, the stunts he is required to become more elaborate and more dangerous. Cameron begins to suspect that Eli is trying to capture the moment of death on film - his death. The ambiguity between what is real and what is fantasy remain until the final frames.

The film was nominated for three Oscars but failed to win any. O'Toole lost out on Best Actor to Robert De Nero for Raging Bull. Richard Rush was beaten as Best Director by Robert Redford and by Alvin Sargent for Best Adaptation, both for Ordinary People. It did win a Golden Globe award for the soundtrack by Dominic Frontier - a soundtrack that includes a barely heard song by Dusty Springfield.

After The Stunt Man, Rush has only made one more film. Color Of Night starring Bruce Willis and Jane March was a psychological thriller more akin to the softcore exploitation films of his early career. It did, however, re-unite Rush with Frontier. Color Of Night took the Razzie Award 1995 for worst film; a sad demise. Since then, Rush has worked on getting The Stunt Man the recognition it deserves and the labour of love has culminated in the documentary that accompanies the DVD release.

The Stunt Man is, quite simply, a must see film. The opportunity to view it on the big screen is a rare one and now is definitely time to discover this classic.

Our thanks to Anchor Bay Entertainment UK for their kind permission to screen The Stunt Man and for the provision of the DVD

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