The Stunt Man (1980)

NEUTRAL

Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube

84%

1980, Comedy, 2h 9m

RT Critics’ Score: 90% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 74%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
4 wins & 11 nominations total

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Critics Consensus

The Stunt Man is a preposterously entertaining thriller with a clever narrative and Oscar-worthy (nomination, at least!) Peter O’Toole performance

Audience Consensus

The Stunt Man is like a wild ride at a carnival, full of twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s a movie about movies, but it’s also so much more than that. Peter O’Toole gives a performance that’s both hilarious and poignant, and the stunts are truly jaw-dropping. Sure, it’s a little pretentious and muddled at times, but that’s all part of the fun. Strap in and enjoy the ride!

Storyline

While on the run from the police, Steve Railsback hides in a group of moviemakers where he pretends to be a stunt man. Both aided and endangered by the director (Peter O’Toole) he avoids both the police and sudden death as a stuntman. The mixture of real danger and fantasy of the movie is an interesting twist for the viewer as the two blend in individual scenes.

Production Company(ies)
Red Box Films, Passion Pictures, Canfield Pictures,

Distributor
20th Century Fox

Release Type
Theatrical

Filming Location(s)
Hotel del Coronado – 1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado, California, USA

MPAA / Certificate
R

Year of Release
1980

Technical Specs

Color:

Color
Sound mix:

Mono
Aspect ratio:

1.85 : 1
Runtime:

2h 9m
Language(s):

English
Country of origin:

United States
Release date:

Release Date (Theaters): Jun 27, 1980 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 24, 2009

Genre(s)
Comedy

Keyword(s)
starring Peter O’Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey, Allen Garfield, Alex Rocco, Sharon Farrell, directed by Richard Rush, written by Richard Rush, genre: comedy, box office performance: 74%, budget: unknown, reviewed by Linda Deutsch, Dave Kehr, Richard Schickel, Joe Morgenstern, Variety Staff, Geoff Andrew, Film Threat Staff, Nathan Rabin, Sean Axmaker, Peter Ackroyd, Film4 Staff, MPAA rating: R, Hollywood, war movie, stunt man, police, manipulation, daredevil, replacement, lead actress, thriller, clever narrative, Oscar-worthy performance

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $7,063,886
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $26,548,479
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,595
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 2,895,145

US/Canada gross: $7,063,886
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA

Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $3,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $13,154,187
Production budget ranking: 1,560
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $7,083,530
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $6,310,762
ROI to date (est.): 31%
ROI ranking: 1,238

Cast & Crew

Peter O’Toole

Steve Railsback

Barbara Hershey

Allen Garfield

Alex Rocco

Eli Cross

Cameron

Nina Franklin

Sam

Police Chief Jake

Peter O’Toole – Eli Cross
Steve Railsback – Cameron
Barbara Hershey – Nina Franklin
Allen Garfield – Sam
Alex Rocco – Police Chief Jake
Sharon Farrell – Denise

Richard Rush

Director

Writer

Producer

Director(s)
Richard Rush

Writer(s)
NA

Producer(s)
Richard Rush

Film Festivals

Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
4 wins & 11 nominations total

Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees

Top Reviews

Linda Deutsch

Dave Kehr

Richard Schickel

Joe Morgenstern

Variety Staff

Associated Press

Chicago Reader

TIME Magazine

Wall Street Journal

Variety

THE STUNT MAN
All Critics (40) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (4)
The Stunt Man is a brilliant feat of cinematic legerdemain, creating an illusory world in which nothing is what it seems.

January 29, 2019

Linda Deutsch
Associated Press
TOP CRITIC
Pretentious, overenergized, muddled, intellectually bogus, and very entertaining for it.

March 13, 2015

Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The fun lies in the journey. It is a trip of constantly shifting perceptions and sharply etched satirical sketches of movie types. It is also a carnival of bang-up stunt scenes.

March 13, 2015

Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Sensationally original.

June 11, 2011

Joe Morgenstern
Wall Street Journal
TOP CRITIC
O’Toole is excellent in his best, cleanest performance in years.

December 1, 2008

Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The result is a movie filled with gags and excellent stunts which remains curiously humourless at heart. Stunted, not stunning.

February 9, 2006

Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Subtle, neurotic and multi-layered, every scene in The Stunt Man is about multiple things at once.

March 7, 2021

Film Threat Staff
Film Threat
It’s a carnivalesque lark whose brevity and gravity are both attributable to the remarkable, pitch-perfect performance of O’Toole…

March 7, 2021

Nathan Rabin
The Dissolve
It’s one of the great movies about the movies and a devious exploration of trust in the line between art and life.

March 30, 2017

Sean Axmaker
Parallax View
The narrative doesn’t come to life until Peter O’Toole wraps it around himself like a Renaissance cloak, and stares pensively into the distance.

March 13, 2015

Peter Ackroyd
The Spectator
Meticulously constructed and beautifully realised.

March 13, 2015

Film4 Staff
Film4
A puzzle-master’s delight.

July 28, 2013 | Rating: 77/100

Dan Jardine
Cinemania…

Plot
While on the run from the police, Steve Railsback hides in a group of moviemakers where he pretends to be a stunt man. Both aided and endangered by the director (Peter O’Toole) he avoids both the police and sudden death as a stuntman. The mixture of real danger and fantasy of the movie is an interesting twist for the viewer as the two blend in individual scenes.

Trivia