| EVEL KNIEVEL (1971) |
| Directed by Marvin Chomsky. Starring George Hamilton, Sue Lyon, Bert Freed, and Rod Cameron. |
| Evel Knievel was most famous not for his spectacular stunts, but for his even more spectacular crashes. Likewise, George Hamilton is more famous for his bizarre tanned leather complection than for any noteworthy acting ability. Combine these ingredients and you get a less than factual account of the most accident prone celebrity of our time. I had high hopes for this film. George Hamilton as Evel Knievel? Surely it would be one of the most unintentionally hilarious films of all time. Evel Knievel chronicles the life of former small time hood Bobby Knievel as he works his way up through the carnival circuit. Naturally, the crowds and the stunts get bigger as more and more people turn up and tune in hoping to see ol' Evel splattered all over the landing ramp. That was when entertainment was entertainment. Evel risking life and limb (usually safe in the knowledge that he'd break several limbs) to entertain millions. These days people seem to get their kicks watching dimwitted Joe millionaire, or drug riddled Ozzy Osbourne farting around their mansions and earning big bucks to do it. Personally, give me Evel coming to an unsafe landing just a few metres short of that nice safe ramp anyday. Call me a sadist, but reality t.v. just can't hold a candle to that. But I'm digressing a little here. Did Evel Knievel meet my expectations as a classic exploitation film of the drive-in era? Well, sort of. Either Evel was so squeaky clean it wasn't funny, or he had total control over this picture. I wanted to see some scandalous Evel parties. Seeing a drunken Evel jump a swimming pool filled with bikini clad Evel groupies. Or how about a painkiller addicted Evel robbing little old ladies at gunpoint looking for a fix. O.K. I'm pretty sure that stuff never happened. But scenes like these would have made for a drive-in classic. As far as the movie was concerned, apart from the petty thefts and stunts, Evel led a reasonably quiet life. Still, the actual stunt footage used did make for compelling viewing at times. The Caesars Palace jump in particular had me groaning out of sympathy. The man knew how to take a spectacular tumble. We're in dire need of another Evel to liven things up in this mundane society. When millions are tuning in to watch a group of people locked in a house brushing their teeth, society's in big trouble. If we have to endure a few more years of reality t.v., let's at least liven things up a bit and make those jokers earn their money. Throw Ozzy Osbourne in a cannon and fire him into a brick wall. Put the entire cast of Big Brother and Temptation Island in a bus and jump that bastard over 47 television executives. I know we'd all pay to see that. |
| Entertainment : 2 out of 4 |
| Watchability : 2 out of 4 |
| Overall : 2 out of 4 |
| Reviewed by Blake |