From Variety · Vadim Rizov · · 1m 10s
Jay Baruchel drives a jump that never landed
A period comedy about stuntman Ken Carter can't top the 1981 documentary it borrows from.
In brief
A period comedy about stuntman Ken Carter can't top the 1981 documentary it borrows from. Faithful period detail is not a reason for a remake to exist. Originally reported by Variety.
Baruchel goes big
Jay Baruchel takes a showy lead role in "The Stunt Driver," reuniting with Michael Dowse, who directed him in "Goon."
The man who missed
He plays Ken Carter, a real stunt driver remembered less for what he pulled off than for the jump he never completed.
“best remembered for a jump he didn't make”
A mile over the river
The stunt was a proposed mile-long leap across the St. Lawrence River in a rocket-powered car. Carter sank five years into it.
Already on film
The 1981 documentary "The Devil At Your Heels" captured those five years. The new movie credits it as source material.
Period detail lands
The technical work of the period recreation is genuinely impressive, from the look of the era to the craft behind it.
No reason to exist
It never improves on the documentary and never finds its own purpose. The comedy is thinner than the real story was.
“this remake never finds its own reason to exist”
The essence
Faithful period detail is not a reason for a remake to exist.
