A good comedy action film about Hollywood stuntmen, with Burt Reynolds at his macho best in a good supporting cast surrounding him. Sally Fields really has a little to do as his girlfriend and the daughter of his mentor, aging retired stuntman Brian Keith. Her involvement in the film just has her worried about Burt and Brian throughout the film with a big scene telling Bert that she is going to walk out on him if he does is done that may risk his life. He's basically beyond his prime as a stuntman, and one big fall could either make him a paraplegic or kill him. Along Comes Jan-Michael Vincent no, the new stuntman on the lot, and Burt beomes his mentor.
Keith gives the best performance in the film, really showing that he has what it takes when the boys get into a barroom brawl, and James Best from "The Dukes of Hazard" is equally good. There was also an amazing cameo by Adam West at the beginning of the film, playing himself, the star of the film that Burt is a stuntman on. There are lots of montages of the various stunts that Burt has done, car chases through the backlot sceneries including Westerns where there would not be any modern vehicles.
The final big stump is the highlight of the film, a re-creation of an earthquake that is supposed to topple the city. It's a likable film, consistently entertaining, and better certainly than films Burt starred in like the "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run" series. This was a smash hit but not what Warner Brothers expected, and perhaps a sign that Hollywood studios shouldn't overestimate what they think a film is going to make and just publicize it to the best of their ability and let the public decide.
Keith gives the best performance in the film, really showing that he has what it takes when the boys get into a barroom brawl, and James Best from "The Dukes of Hazard" is equally good. There was also an amazing cameo by Adam West at the beginning of the film, playing himself, the star of the film that Burt is a stuntman on. There are lots of montages of the various stunts that Burt has done, car chases through the backlot sceneries including Westerns where there would not be any modern vehicles.
The final big stump is the highlight of the film, a re-creation of an earthquake that is supposed to topple the city. It's a likable film, consistently entertaining, and better certainly than films Burt starred in like the "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Cannonball Run" series. This was a smash hit but not what Warner Brothers expected, and perhaps a sign that Hollywood studios shouldn't overestimate what they think a film is going to make and just publicize it to the best of their ability and let the public decide.