By John Corrado
The latest film from Canadian director Michael Dowse (Goon, The F Word, Fubar), The Stunt Driver is a period biopic of Ken Carter, the eccentric Québécois stunt driver who planned to jump a rocket car over the St. Lawrence River in the 1970s.
Jay Baruchel stars in the film as Carter, aka “The Mad Canadian,” whom we first meet in the film being interviewed under hypnosis (“bandages are for pussies and books are for nerds,” he defiantly says). Carter bristles at being called a daredevil, and also has beef with American stuntman Evel Kenieval (played by Ben Foster).
The film mainly follows Carter on his quixotic quest to complete the high-risk St. Lawrence jump, involving a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental, a makeshift ramp, and a bed of roses for him to land in on the other side. Delusional? Yes. But he’s also following his dreams.
Based on the 1981 National Film Board documentary The Devil At Your Heals, the making of which is baked into this film, Dowse does a good job of blending filmmaking styles and shifting aspect ratios throughout The Stunt Driver, to give this the feel of something being partially assembled through footage from the era.
Baruchel shines in a wonderful comic performance as the iconic stunt driver, bringing an oddly endearing quality to his portrayal of an outsider in pursuit of greatness in a very niche field. Baruchel is supported by Laurence Leboeuf as his wife Gloria, and Ed Helms as his car technician Dick Keller, who is given “presidential veto powers” to call off the jump if he believes the car might explode.
Dowse turns Carter’s daredevil attempt into an engaging underdog story. The result is a film that is a lot of fun, but strangely poignant as well. It’s a very enjoyable piece of quirky Canadiana.
