Reviews (59)

'Not One of Bruce's Best Work'
I rented this movie because it was supposed to be a suspensful thriller with a shocking twist to it. PLEASE, the only reason- and I do mean reason that I got thru this movie is the fact that I love Bruce Willis and will pretty much watch anything that he does. This movie plot is sooo bad that in this case the word BAD actually means BAD!! I figured out the whole plot within 20 minutes flat. That wasn't even worth the money that I paid. Bruce Willis playing a psychiatrist was different and interesting considering he's always playing tough-guys. I certainly don't know how Jane March got the female lead in this movie. Her acting was very laughable. There are alot of sex scenes in this movie-a first for Bruce. His body looked pretty good. I know he got slammed in this movie for his body and his sex scenes, but I mean if his wife can do it and be successful why can't he? However in the future, the public would rather see him with his clothes on or at least with a sheet around his body.

I'm A Naked Psychopath Schizo - Check Me Out
So here's the deal - Mr. Willis shows up at his buddy's house who is the dude from Quantum Leap. That dude gets aced. Then Willis goes to town on this chick, who's got a sweet ass body, but is kind of weird in the face. Don't get me wrong - I'd tear it up - I'm just saying her face is a little wrecked. Then in the end she's wearing some make-up to make her look like a dude. There was a dude in my junior high that we thought was a chick (...).

Worse than a low budget erotic flick
This movie has everything that any bad movie usually has: bad plot, poor acting, absolutely no chemistry between Willis and March, bad make-up, dissappointing sex scenes, and a primitive dialog.

The ONLY reason to watch this movie is if you absolutely must see Jane March naked. But I think you'd be better off with "The Lover."

It's a guilty pleasure not a great film
I watched this film originally because of Jane March, who I think is a real cutie. (Full disclosure: my wife thinks she looks like a chipmunk but she likes Bruce Willis so she tolerates this film.) It's all I expected: lots of Ms. March, wearing very little when she wears anything at all, and smiling a lot; Bruce Willis ('nuff said), and some really lame "suspense" plot that does little more than provide excuses for more nudity and sexual antics. Do you care? Well, it's no Pulp Fiction! Depends what you want to see, and at least it's a lot easier on the eyes than some of her other turkeys (Provocateur, Tarzan).

Honestly, if you're looking for a film with a story, go elsewhere -- even March's first hit, "The Lover" -- is a good alternative. If you're looking for some guilty pleasure, look no further. Fast-forward through the non-nude scenes and you'll be watching this one over and over. It's a guilty pleasure, but sometimes you just gotta give in.

Color of Night---WOW!!!!!!
I saw this movie as soon as it came out on video and again when it was released on DVD last March 2003. I liked this movie a lot, but was disappointed that the cover on both the VHS and DVD stated (15 extra steamy minutes not shown in theatres). Well, I didn't get a chance to see it in the theatre and finally saw it on DVD and VHS and counted only 5 minutes total and that is all the love scenes combined. I heard that there was a lesbian love scene cut out and probably some more cut out, but who knows. If there is anyone out there who knows where to get the unrated version with NOTHING cut out, let me know. I did like this movie. It kept me on my toes and at the edge of my seat. ... Read more

Reviews (46)

If God could do the things we do ...
... he'd be a happy man!
I just finished watching the DVD of "The Stunt Man." It's still a smart, amazing, funny, scary, exhilirating experience. This is what great movie making (and great acting) is all about. Richard Rush's direction, the acting from Peter O'Toole and the rest, the terrific screenplay, the great music ... it's just ... perfect. As fresh now as the day it rolled out of the camera.
It's a shame Rush hasn't been able to make more films, but with this classic to his credit he can rest assured that his place in cinema history is complete. Thanks, Mr. Rush!
And Peter O'Toole ... nothing will top his work in "Lawrence of Arabia," but this comes darned close. Eli Cross is the classic "film director as god." O'Toole makes him more than just a petty movie-set tyrant. Cross is sly, witty, mysterious and all-knowing. He's frightening but fascinating. You wouldn't want to introduce him to your mother but you would want to take him out to dinner just to listen to him spin his stories. When he descends from above in his camera crane you'll begin to think he's god incarnate ... just as the stunt man does.
And the plot? That's what made "The Stunt Man" such a hard sell to the movie studios and what makes it a classic. What is reality and what isn't? Are we in control of our lives or aren't we? How do we know what's really going on and what it all means? Is Eli trying to kill the stunt man or just trying to finish his movie on time?
Anchor Bay's DVD transfer is superb. The "Limited Edition" includes Rush's documentary on the making the film. Don't miss it!
If you've never seen this film, get it FAST and enjoy! If you haven't seen it in a while, rediscover why it's so great.
Amen!

Lost Classic!
Most films that rely heavily on stunts don't provide much of interest in between the airbag falls and vehicle pile-ups - Hooper, Cannonball Run, The Blues Brothers and their ilk being prime examples, and even the revered likes of Bullitt tend to sag a bit when the protagonists get out of the car. Fortunately this overlooked gem manages to mix stops-out stunt sequences with a borderline-pretentious paranoia plot to cover all bases with ease. Jobbing greenhorn Steve Railsback gets a job in the stunt team of Peter O'Toole's director's World War One action romance, falls for the leading lady, has his every waking moment interrupted by O'Toole on an ace crane-mounted director's chair, and finally takes on the escape from a sinking car stunt that killed his predecessor. There's plenty of elementary-grade symbolism thrown at it (O'Toole's messianic character is called Eli Cross, in true ramming-the-point-home style), and the whole "What is reality after all? Eh? Think about it" ethos of the film won't impress everyone, but it's all done with a light touch, and you really won't see anything like this anywhere else, and the set-pieces, particularly the rooftop gun battle and aerial dogfight, are brilliantly staged.

One of the top cult movies from the eighties!
Through this clever , ingenious script , the brilliant film maker Richard Rush (nominated as best director in 1980) made a emblematic and glorious film for those people who wante to taste something different . Built as a smart chines puzzle , a man suddenly in a location film and the delicate boundaries between the reality and the fiction are broken . Under this perspective the viewer is challenged moment by moment and obilgated to establish who is who and what is what . Think that you are in a mirror hall (Lady of Shangai's ending sequence) and try to find the object and not confuse with its image .
Link this premise with another two film made in the sixties (Blow up of Antonioni)and Belle de jour (Luis Buñuel) and more recently Parole des enfants (1995) Open you eyes (Alejandro Amenábar 1997) or The rules of engagement (William Friedkin 2000) and you'll be rewarded by that intelligent plot , loaded with thrills, chills, suspense , riddles and surprises , plus an outstanding cast: Peter O'Toole (nominated as best actor in 1980 for this performance) and Hershey .
I'm absolutely convinced since the moment you watch this film , it will become one of your timeless and favorites films.
The doubt for acquire this film never must prevail in your mind even for a second.

o'toole should have gotten the oscar
this is a marvellous cult classic and has three fabulous performances in the vastly underrated barbara hershey and steve railsback.
of course the main thing here is o'toole. this and my favorite year were made close together and amounted to nothing less than a 'comeback' for the actor.
unfortunatley hollwood hasnt made such excellent use of o'toole since then but its a proud spot on this wonderful actors resume

DIDN'T FLIP MY MINNOW
Don't get me wrong. This is not a bad movie. It just doesn't compare to Citizen Kane in innovation. Really, some LA Times reporter wrote that! I guess I'm supposed to watch this numerous times, but it just wasn't that interesting to me. Where's the innovation? The crane?(Golly gee Cletus, I never seen a crane that big before) The reflected faces? The cliched lines of the Vietnam Vet? Then there is that quote that's always bandied about, "You're an actor playing a stuntman playing an actor..." I understand what he is saying, it's just not very pithy.

I kept waiting for the big suprise, the part of the movie that floored me. It never came. I wasn't drawn into an anti-reality, didn't see a dual reality and did not see any allegory. To some reviewers this is the greatest film ever. There's a guy at DVD Verdict who wrote that this film changed the way he looked at movies. I didn't see that. I watched a movie, that while good, was not thought provoking. I suppose I should watch it again, but it just didn't flip my minnow. ... Read more

Description

When he loses his job, gas station attendant Poet (Academy Award-winner Jack Nicholson) falls in with a rough band of Hells Angels who terrorize Northern California in a hellraising frenzy of parties and gang fights. Choppers, drugs, sex, murder and mayhem ensue as Poet and gang leader Buddy (Adam Roarke) head down a dark road to danger. From acclaimed cult director Richard Rush (The Stunt Man) with cinematography by the legendary László Kovács (Easy Rider, Paper Moon) and music by Stu Phillips (Battlestar Gallactica, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls). ... Read more

Reviews (16)

The Original and Superb 60's Cult Classic Biker Movie!!
In Jack Nicholson's 1967 predessor to "Easy Rider",a youthful Nicholson stars as a gas station attendant who's bored with his life,and decides to join Hell's Angels on a cross country trip along the way,Nicholson tries to steal the girlfriend of the gang leader,and winds up in a biker style duel with him.This Cult Classic film boasts being photographed by the renowned photographer Lazlo Kovaks(Easy Rider,Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and features real-life Hell's Angel,Sonny Barger as one of the actors in the film along with other members of the Richmond Hell's Angels and the Sacramento Nomads Gang.An Original and Superb 60's Cult Classic Biker Movie especially for Biker Fanatics!!

Rumble in the Bay
Classical late 60's / early 70's flick with a heavy randomness to it, not really any storyline. The bikes are cool; The Hells partying and fighting seemed like forced action, but probably generally reflective of the types of things that took place.

Couple of points: the other review above says Sonny Barger is in the movie, but only for a couple of quick shots in the opening. The lead (playing Sonny/type) is WAY too sensitive a guy to be realistic (IMHO). The ending is comically abrupt and odd. Plus the factory version I bought was tapped in EP - THE WORST possible quality and horribly grainy - difficult to watch since the reproduction was so bad. It was still kinda fun as an era piece.

Adam Roarke has BIGGER Screen presence than Nicholson! !!!
This is One of Those TRUE GUILTY PLEASURES !!! This even Seems Better then Corman's The Wild Angels Which came out Earlier, This movie shows more of the True Brotherhood of what its like to be in a Real Outlaw Biker Gang !!! There are Even real Hells Angel Alums in this film Like Sonny Barger and Adam Roarke...The Ending seems a little Hurried though, thats my only Gripe...Over all a Great Ride of a Film !!! :)

Genuine Choppers
If you are into vintage old school choppers, this film has them. Great shots of original, real-deal bikes, not RUB material from the Learning Channel.

Classic Movie --
If you want to go back to the '60s then this movie is for you. Put this movie into the VCR and go back in time. Action in a classic way. But again, remember "CLASSIC". ... Read more

Reviews (46)

If God could do the things we do ...
... he'd be a happy man!
I just finished watching the DVD of "The Stunt Man." It's still a smart, amazing, funny, scary, exhilirating experience. This is what great movie making (and great acting) is all about. Richard Rush's direction, the acting from Peter O'Toole and the rest, the terrific screenplay, the great music ... it's just ... perfect. As fresh now as the day it rolled out of the camera.
It's a shame Rush hasn't been able to make more films, but with this classic to his credit he can rest assured that his place in cinema history is complete. Thanks, Mr. Rush!
And Peter O'Toole ... nothing will top his work in "Lawrence of Arabia," but this comes darned close. Eli Cross is the classic "film director as god." O'Toole makes him more than just a petty movie-set tyrant. Cross is sly, witty, mysterious and all-knowing. He's frightening but fascinating. You wouldn't want to introduce him to your mother but you would want to take him out to dinner just to listen to him spin his stories. When he descends from above in his camera crane you'll begin to think he's god incarnate ... just as the stunt man does.
And the plot? That's what made "The Stunt Man" such a hard sell to the movie studios and what makes it a classic. What is reality and what isn't? Are we in control of our lives or aren't we? How do we know what's really going on and what it all means? Is Eli trying to kill the stunt man or just trying to finish his movie on time?
Anchor Bay's DVD transfer is superb. The "Limited Edition" includes Rush's documentary on the making the film. Don't miss it!
If you've never seen this film, get it FAST and enjoy! If you haven't seen it in a while, rediscover why it's so great.
Amen!

Lost Classic!
Most films that rely heavily on stunts don't provide much of interest in between the airbag falls and vehicle pile-ups - Hooper, Cannonball Run, The Blues Brothers and their ilk being prime examples, and even the revered likes of Bullitt tend to sag a bit when the protagonists get out of the car. Fortunately this overlooked gem manages to mix stops-out stunt sequences with a borderline-pretentious paranoia plot to cover all bases with ease. Jobbing greenhorn Steve Railsback gets a job in the stunt team of Peter O'Toole's director's World War One action romance, falls for the leading lady, has his every waking moment interrupted by O'Toole on an ace crane-mounted director's chair, and finally takes on the escape from a sinking car stunt that killed his predecessor. There's plenty of elementary-grade symbolism thrown at it (O'Toole's messianic character is called Eli Cross, in true ramming-the-point-home style), and the whole "What is reality after all? Eh? Think about it" ethos of the film won't impress everyone, but it's all done with a light touch, and you really won't see anything like this anywhere else, and the set-pieces, particularly the rooftop gun battle and aerial dogfight, are brilliantly staged.

One of the top cult movies from the eighties!
Through this clever , ingenious script , the brilliant film maker Richard Rush (nominated as best director in 1980) made a emblematic and glorious film for those people who wante to taste something different . Built as a smart chines puzzle , a man suddenly in a location film and the delicate boundaries between the reality and the fiction are broken . Under this perspective the viewer is challenged moment by moment and obilgated to establish who is who and what is what . Think that you are in a mirror hall (Lady of Shangai's ending sequence) and try to find the object and not confuse with its image .
Link this premise with another two film made in the sixties (Blow up of Antonioni)and Belle de jour (Luis Buñuel) and more recently Parole des enfants (1995) Open you eyes (Alejandro Amenábar 1997) or The rules of engagement (William Friedkin 2000) and you'll be rewarded by that intelligent plot , loaded with thrills, chills, suspense , riddles and surprises , plus an outstanding cast: Peter O'Toole (nominated as best actor in 1980 for this performance) and Hershey .
I'm absolutely convinced since the moment you watch this film , it will become one of your timeless and favorites films.
The doubt for acquire this film never must prevail in your mind even for a second.

o'toole should have gotten the oscar
this is a marvellous cult classic and has three fabulous performances in the vastly underrated barbara hershey and steve railsback.
of course the main thing here is o'toole. this and my favorite year were made close together and amounted to nothing less than a 'comeback' for the actor.
unfortunatley hollwood hasnt made such excellent use of o'toole since then but its a proud spot on this wonderful actors resume

DIDN'T FLIP MY MINNOW
Don't get me wrong. This is not a bad movie. It just doesn't compare to Citizen Kane in innovation. Really, some LA Times reporter wrote that! I guess I'm supposed to watch this numerous times, but it just wasn't that interesting to me. Where's the innovation? The crane?(Golly gee Cletus, I never seen a crane that big before) The reflected faces? The cliched lines of the Vietnam Vet? Then there is that quote that's always bandied about, "You're an actor playing a stuntman playing an actor..." I understand what he is saying, it's just not very pithy.

I kept waiting for the big suprise, the part of the movie that floored me. It never came. I wasn't drawn into an anti-reality, didn't see a dual reality and did not see any allegory. To some reviewers this is the greatest film ever. There's a guy at DVD Verdict who wrote that this film changed the way he looked at movies. I didn't see that. I watched a movie, that while good, was not thought provoking. I suppose I should watch it again, but it just didn't flip my minnow. ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Two groovy movies - - - one groovy disk
Psych-Out, weird from the start, but a true classic in every sence of the word. The film has some really good performers in it; the greatly missed Susan Strasberg, who stars as a young deaf lady looking for her brother in San Fransico, Dean Stockwell and Jack Nicholson and others. It has a soundtrack that is outstanding, featuring The Strawberry Alarm Clock and The Seeds and a very important anti drugs message. A film NOT to be missed!

I had never seen The Trip before, Susan Strasberg also appears, though not as prominent as she was in Psych-Out, Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper (always welcome) and Bruce Dern (who has a minor, but pivotal role in Psych-Out). IMHO it's not as well acted as Psych-Out, but it's enjoyable. Another important message about the dangers of drugs. An extremely weird movie!

Both movies come complete with some interesting features. Interesting to see how American International (maker of these movies) changed with the times, from early 60s Beach Party, to late 60s happenings with these movies.

I cannot recommend this movie enough, especially for Psych-Out, which is a true classic!

Wait until the FULL versions come out - stick it to the man!
Sadly, The Trip and Psych-Out have apparently been cut up and censored beyond belief. And why?

Of course it was all done by the establishment, man. That's right - the powers that be don't want we the people to see and hear the real truth. They had already proved that by banning these flicks from VHS as well. This is just so totally bogus!

So I say we boycott these films until the Republican jack-boot army, that hates all expressions of peace and love, finally stops hiding all that beautiful footage from us!

Yes, I said boycott! Boycott! BOYCOTT!

What a bummer!
The Trip and psych-Out, two great movies in same package, on DVD...sounds too good to be true, and is too good to be true, I'm afraid, since BOTH of the movies are shorter versions from the originals. So be aware, if you are about to buy this DVD, you won't get the whole movie. The movies have really been mutilated, I was really angry to notice how ridiculously they have been cut. Especially Psych-Out suffers from this mutilation. Since I'm writing my thesis about the 60's films, I really feel these movies earn a better treatment. I feel cheated, but I quess there is no way getting your money back if you live in Finland like I do. So, be aware, it's a rip-off. I'm afraid that we serious movie collector's still have stick to our precious VHS!

Half-baked brownies?
Was there nothing that modern technology could do to make the soundtrack to "The Trip" listenable? It sounds muffled and dialogue is sometimes hard to follow - I don't recall having this problem when I saw the film theatrically. Maybe they were trying to re-create the drive-in speaker experience. And why on earth edit "Psych-Out," truthfully the better of the two films? Extras are okay, and thanks for the letterboxing, but this should have been a four-star reissue, at least.

GOD IS ALIVE AND WELL IN A SUGAR CUBE
..is one of the famous lines you will hear and see in this great Psychedelic Trip of 1968. Directed by Richard Rush, and with a fabulous cast. I had not really heard of many of the actors, then did some investigating on my own. Of course we know what happened to Jack Nicholson; Adam Roarke (plays Ben) died in 1996. What a handsome and good actor he was!!! Also Susan Strasberg (also passed on in 1999) adorable and wonderful! She was the hottest thing going at this time in 1968, and Richard Rush was happy to have her play Jenny Davis, the young deaf runaway looking for her brother (played by Bruce Dern). I had not heard of Max Julien before, he's great, and actually the "baby of the group" (born in 1945 while the others born around 1937, 1938.) So he was 23 when he made the film. Dean Stockwell is terrific as "DAVE", the guy who believes that "all the games gotta go, or else it's just a plastic hassle"!!! I just love his manner of speaking ("Games again, Stoney?") and his great hairstyle with the headband. He's very 1968~~ and such beautiful eyes/lashes on him!!! Also Henry Jaglom, who plays the artist Warren, and goes on a bad trip and his buddies go and rescue him. Look for a group called "THE SEEDS", & of course, the beloved STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK. One of the best scenes in this film is called THE BEADS OF INNOCENCE, the music and the "critical focus" of the camera, as Richard Rush puts it in his commentary. Very nice film! sorry they edited it! I noticed some stuff cut short, but thought oh well. Would like to see the longer version of this movie. Either that, or Please Richard Rush, put this out on it's own!!! And add the cut scenes and stuff you may have in the film can at home! Five Star Movie! I watch it over and over. So, Tune In, And Trip Out, to Psych Out! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Peter O'Toole puts it succinctly, "The Stunt Man wasn't released, itescaped." Director Richard Rush returns 20 years later to this highly praised 1980 film inthis two-hour documentary chronicling the decade-long struggle from creation todistribution. Rush calls Sinister Saga a home movie, and it essentially is withRush talking to the camera--there is no footage from the film's actual shoot. If you canget by the lack of gloss, you're left with an extremely personal view of the filmmaking,and a behind-the-scenes look that is refreshingly void of studio hype. Included areinterviews 20 years later with cast members who fondly remember the film's shoot. It'sinteresting to note that if The Stunt Man was made 20 years later, it would havenever struggled. The film would simply have been relegated to cable or astraight-to-video release. --Doug Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (2)

True Hollywood story--in epic detail!
I saw this documentary at the 20th anniversary screening of "The Stunt Man" at LA's Egyptian Theatre last year. It is a low-budget DV affair consisting of the director, Richard Rush, describing the endless process of getting the film made and released and the various individuals who tried to prevent him along the way. It is shot as an homage to the visually inventive style of "The Stunt Man", full of camera tricks and transitions. Being a huge fan of the film, I was fascinated; those who are less interested in this sort of story may find it overlong and overblown.

To me, "The Stunt Man" is one of the best (if not the best) films made about the film industry; I've seen it many many times and am delighted that a DVD is finally being released. This documentary is a fine companion piece and true to the hall of mirrors theme, it's a film about making a film about making a film...

"If God could do the tricks we do, he'd be a happy man"

Informative, but sadly cheesy and annoying
Richard Rush's "The Stunt Man" is one of the most original, intelligent, and exhilarating films ever made. It also has one of the most fascinating back-stories in movie history, with a tumultuous production and distribution history that rivals "Titanic" and "Citizen Kane".

It's too bad that "The Sinister Saga of Making 'The Stunt Man'" is one of the most agonizingly cheesy documentaries I've ever seen. It resembles a childrens' science television show, with an overuse of annoying and disgustingly "cute" visual gimmicks. It looks like the work of a recent graduate of a community college videography class, with too much time and equipment on their hands. Sadly, the documentary was directed by Rush himself.

So is this documentary worth seeing? Absolutely, if only because the back-story is so compelling. However, Rush could have saved a lot of time and money merely filming himself delivering the same information as a straight lecture. The approach used here is nearly unbearable. ... Read more