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Not a Daredevil: The Intriguing Story of The Stunt Driver

The Stunt Driver is a movie that rides or dies on conveying a certain charmed veneration of its subject, Canadian stuntman Ken Carter. His personality and his ambitions, ridiculous and frankly idiotic though they may have been, are coloured by the film with gusto even if his motivations don’t entirely hold water. It is also impossible to separate this tone of the movie and its subject with star Jay Baruchel’s intense patriotism for anything Canadian. Baruchel really has come home in a way that few other Canadian celebrity expats have, dedicating much of his work to uplifting the Canadian film industry (he hasn’t appeared in an American movie since the last How to Train Your Dragon film in 2019). And even though he isn’t a producer, writer, or director here, it feels entirely of that Canadiana spirit he’s been folding into his brand. The story of this plucky Canadian daredevil -known by the moniker “the Mad Canadian”- always in the shadow of Evel Knieval down south is right up his alley.
The film is directed by Michael Dowse and mainly concerns a stunt Carter attempted in 1979, designed to top a rocket car jump that Knieval had done previously. His ambition was to drive a rocket car of his own over the St. Lawrence River, a full mile of a jump. To do this he enlists the help of a Chicago mechanic Dick Keller (Ed Helms) who designs rocket cars and amasses a lot of anticipation and media spectacle over the preparation and execution whilst coming to terms with his own anxieties over the stunt and its long-shot chance of success.
Dowse, who has made several movies in Hollywood, does a good job disguising the relative smallness of this movie's budget and scope through some crafty editing and well-placed set pieces. Yet the Canadian character of the film is never muted, in fact it is emphasized in a lot of places, perhaps most strongly in that blended superiority/inferiority complex Carter has about Evel Knieval, played here by Ben Foster, whose escapades he derides and whose comparisons he rejects. There is something of that spirit in this film's existence, particularly in the absence of a comparable star-driven Knieval movie.
The makers of this film though are aware that both personalities and their chosen claims to fame are pretty ridiculous, if not outright stupid. On several occasions a joke is made about Carter’s chances of survival against how unnecessary his feat would be. Clearing the St. Lawrence already overshoots Knieval’s trick by quite a lot. And yet just as much is it expressed that the stunt is indeed possible, and the film builds anticipation of whether or not this jump will be achieved. The power of the rocket car is certainly compelling -on a test, Carter breaks the Canadian speed record when he zaps down a runway in it at 250 kph. (280 is what is needed to clear the river) The effect is exciting for his team of spectators, blisteringly intense for Carter.
The presence of spectators, and especially a local documentary crew as well as representatives of his chief sponsor -bankrolling the jump and annoyed at perceived wastes of money- is accurate to the record (the movie ends on some of the real footage). But it also better accentuates the pressure Carter is under once he takes on the mantle of this enterprise to seeing it through to completion -even if it unnerves him somewhat. It is one of the more impressive notes to Baruchel’s performance -for as much pomp and ego as Carter has, there is a deep anxiety beneath the surface he is only partially open about. He does not have a death wish -he and his wife Gloria (Laurence Laboeuf) want to have children. A number of characters accuse him of intending to chicken out, and you don’t believe necessarily that they’re wrong.
Yet he still expresses a commitment, is intent on performing highly dangerous stunts out of a desire to be liked and respected. It is a pretty shallow motivation, and the movie doesn’t do enough to give it more nuance or convey it in a way that reflects well on Carter. And while there is some sadness, perhaps a loneliness there that inspires this particular means of attaining fame it is not explored. The one thing that keeps Carter from being relatable, and in fact makes him rather pitiable. Add to that the fact an inspirational heart-to-heart with Knieval is built around a notion he puts forward that they are better than ordinary people, and do what they do to prove it to themselves. There is an air of nobility to how the moment is played, casting both men not as delusional egotists but inspired beacons of prophecy. And it doesn’t land, nor does it leave their actions very admirable.
However, what can be admired is Dowse’s dedication to realistically portraying the process of making this madcap impulse a reality. It is a fascinating journey, from the assembly of the car to scouting the location, and all the hype that builds up around it until the home stretch is forthcoming. It is an interesting look at just how much goes into these kind of big brash stunts, Dowse very starkly setting the tone and aesthetic of a real sports movie. It could almost be mistaken for a racing film at times. Even the comedy is very grounded in circumstance and personality, and occasionally a bit like Carter struggling to enter the car in his flame-retardant jumpsuit (it has no side doors, he can only get in through the sunroof), or the snarky attitude of Keller prior to finding his belief in Carter. It's tenor, like so much else in the movie, feels strictly Canadian.
movThe true story of Ken Carter is not a widely known one so I will not spoil how the event turns out, but it is a surprise given all the build-up. It factors into the movie's emphasis on the risks of Carter's lifestyle, and yet the film admires him all the same. The Stunt Driver never quite strikes the right balance with its impression of Carter and its attitude towards his vocation, but Baruchel himself plays well his contradictions. It is an interesting story more than an interesting profile -a function of the film very clearly being just to raise awareness amongst Canadians of who this weird guy was. And Dowse does a decent enough job showcasing the effort and pressures that go into attempting such a ludicrous feat. That The Stunt Driver does not soar is rather fitting; that it tries to with a ton of spirit and entertaining enthusiasm though is enough.

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