It’s been a really sad year for film fans in terms of losing bits of history and memory as the months fly by too soon. Upon hearing that Peter O’Toole passed away, the first thing I thought of was that TCM is really going to need to update its TCM Remembers video to include the legendary actor (and perhaps Paul Walker, as he wasn’t included {not being a “classic” film actor and all} although Eleanor Parker, who died later, was).

The second thing I thought of was not the film he’s probably going to be most remembered for by many, David Lean’s masterful epic Lawrence of Arabia, but Richard Rush’s bawdy, bold 1980 film, The Stunt Man with the actor playing a madman of a director trying to make a bizarre World War I film with an on the lam drifter replacing the stunt man killed in a freak accident…

I recall seeing this when it opened with some friends and we were all surprised at how offbeat the movie was compared to some of the predictable mainstream fluff of the time in theaters and on TV. It’s a great movie about the making of movies, but it’s also a big in-joke in that the bulk of the movie-making shown is faked and definitely NOT how a movie is made. Steve Railsback plays Cameron, a Vietnam veteran on the run from the law when he stumbles across a bridge and causes an old car to swerve off it and crash into the water, killing the driver inside. It turns out that old car and driver were part of a film being made by O’Toole’s Eli Cross, and after that introduction, Cameron is drafted into taking the part of the dead stunt man by Cross, who threatens to have him arrested otherwise.

On the set, Cameron meets and falls head over captive heels with its main star, Nina Franklin (Barbara Hershey), but there’s always a rub with these workplace romances, right? Cross puts Cameron through the wringer as production amps up and the stunts get more and more deadly and the veteran is probably wishing he was back fighting for his country then fighting to stay alive on a crazy movie set. The amusing thing about the film within a film is it’s an antiwar flick, but the director’s wild shoot includes plenty of action and even a orgy scene before the grand finale. As weird as it all sounds, the balance between comedic and dramatic moments is fantastic, all the actors are spot on and the “behind the scenes” bits where you see stunts being rigged up and executed are all pretty outstanding if again, not entirely accurate.

O’Toole plays Cross as a part man, part manic and part maniac, literally lording it over Cameron as he’s lifted about in a flying chair hanging from a crane arm berating the poor man at every turn. I recall when, after one too many incidents of Cross’ ego gone wild, Cameron plans with Nina to escape from the film set together, ending Cross’ domination over the pair. The audience was with both of them and despite the insanity of the idea, this sets up the film’s exciting finale that throws every emotion felt up to that point into the blender and frappes them quite well. It’s pretty clear from the start that Cross is unbalanced, but he’s also a genius not to be trifled with.

Railsback makes an excellent feature film debut here as the frazzled vet turned reluctant daredevil, adding just enough deer in headlights eye-pop and “let’s get it done!” fearlessness that works for Cameron. I’d say it’s his best film work (and light years away from his scenery devouring acting a few years later in 1985’s well-made but interestingly wretched Lifeforce). Hershey, is of course, lovely to behold and her performance is pretty remarkable as she gets put through the wringer by Cross and his careless whims. Veteran composer Dominic Frontiere contributes a sweeping score that’s bold, funny and almost perfect, balancing the comic points wonderfully and enhancing the darker moments very nicely indeed. In my opinion, the film’s opening sequence is still one of the most memorable ones of the 80’s thanks to the mix of editing and theme rolling together into the eyes and ears of the audience and setting up what’s to come with a splash.

While the film didn’t get a wide release (I saw it here in NYC where we seemed to get even the smallest films rolling into some small to large theaters even for a few weeks), I think I ended up seeing it four times before it vanished and later, a few more times on cable. Despite the limited run and some not so positive reviews that likes some parts and were confused by the rest, it did net a few Academy Award nominations for O’Toole’s work, the adapted screenplay and Rush’s fine directing. I still think it’s a better and more fun to watch film than what actually won that year, but hey – if I was in charge of those final votes, Hollywood history would have been made many times over each year. It’s a good thing I stopped caring about awards shows many moons ago, I guess.

Like F/X did a few years later (to a lesser degree but better box office), The Stunt Man demystifies part of Hollywood yet still shorthands enough that you can’t watch this film and go recreate what fakery you saw at all without really harming yourself in one way or another. If you’re REALLY stupid and have a YouTube channel, go on ahead and knock yourself out (literally and figuratively) trying to do some of the stunt work here. Good luck paying for those hospital bills, buddy. That and even if you DO manage to pull off a cool fall or wreck without breaking your fool neck, you’ll be missing one key thing. There won’t be an Eli Cross to drift down on a crane chair to pooh-pooh your failed efforts or tell you how brilliant HE is and how you need to go do it again because someone forgot to load film into the right camera…