Linkshoch Wonderful Movie

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

happipuppi13 Was Evel Knievel the real deal? Of course he was.Was his life as presented here the real deal? Not completely. This is after all silly,1970s late night drive in hokum at it's best. As far as bad movies of the 1970s go,I have certainly seen worse. I received this as a "gag" gift this past Christmas and just watched it last night.To me George Hamilton is the only "actor" famous for being famous,instead of for his movies. (Without peeking at the IMDb list,name another!) He's really funny here,intentional or not and just like I said about KISS Meets the Phantom or Gozilla Vs. Megalon,we shouldn't take this too seriously. I don't believe he dynamited city hall either,I think someone behind the scenes wanted more action than just motorcycle jumping. There was also that anti-police feeling in the 70s too,which would explain Bobby Knievel making the police look stupid.The funniest scene in this movie is when he drives his motorcycle through the front door of his girl's place and up the stairs to her room. After the landlady said "no men here after 10pm"!It's just dumb fun to be had by all,who may once in awhile want to steer away (no joke intended) from "real" movies and just kick back and enjoy the ride. One day I'll find "Viva Knievel" but for now,with his passing not long ago,it's the only tribute I can pay the man. Unless I go out and find a wind up motorcycle from my childhood. Here's to you Evel and a wink & nod to Mr. Hamilton for at least capturing Evel's crazy side. (END)

Poseidon-3 Practically the only other actor who would be less likely to play Evel Knieval than Hamilton is Anthony Perkins, yet somehow Hamilton manages to turn in a reasonably effective portrayal (and as producer of the film, he wasn't likely to be fired or told he wasn't right for the part!) The early life of the daredevil motorcyclist is recounted here in multiple flashbacks. The film opens with a rather silly prologue with Hamilton in his white-leather, star-spangled gear spouting the world according to Knieval as if to say, "Don't worry. This film is about my youth, but I'll be back in my familiar costume by the end of the picture." Hamilton is preparing for a huge jump, yet is still licking his wounds from the previous one as devoted wife Lyon both supports and derides him. He recalls various vignettes of his childhood and delinquent teenage years along with his early days as a stunt rider and blossoming celebrity. This flip-flop approach is pretty abrupt and sometimes disjointed, but it does prevent the movie from sticking to one of its inexpensive sets for too long a time or from getting into a rut with the fairly pedestrian characters. Hamilton, usually a suave and debonair persona, does a very fine job of enacting the tiny details of his subject's mannerisms and demeanor including his walk. His hair is a shade lighter and longer and he works hard to give the right inflections in his speaking. (He even pays minor tribute to Knieval's many injuries by appearing in a skimpy towel while his shoulders are covered in "scars" from the multitudinous accidents.) Facially, he looks nothing like the real cyclist, but he does suggest him in his physical performance. Lyon is excellent at playing the young girl he loves and then the more worldly wife, though her 3-pack a day voice does threaten to give her away at any given moment. She and Hamilton strike up an easy chemistry which goes a long way in putting the film over. Other nice supporting turns are given by Freed as his jaded doctor, Cameron as an early influence and Taylor as a flea-bitten sideshow barker. The film was made on a low budget, but the story is a rather low rent one anyway, so that doesn't affect it too badly. The makers wisely used actual Butte, Montana locations to give the film a proper small town ambiance. Several of Hamilton's antics are amusing, though the character is certainly reckless and inconsiderate of other people's property! Some of the real Knieval's completed and failed stunts are included in some blurry footage, one of which features a mind-boggling "splatter" in which the man is rolled up and snapped around like a rag doll. Hamilton's then-wife (Stewart) appears briefly as a nurse.

Infofreak Even though as a kid growing up in the 1970s I thought Evel Knievel was, along with Bruce Lee and Bill Bixby as "The Magician", one of the coolest guys on the planet, I'd for some reason never seen this biopic. Boy, watching this now is a trip! It's a mess of a movie really, but fascinating just the same. Firstly you have the oddball casting of George Hamilton as Knievel. Okay, it maybe isn't as left field as him playing Hank Williams, but it's still very odd. Secondly, Evel comes across as a real idiot, giving long winded egotistical speeches, slamming 'Easy Rider' and those "weirdos" for "giving bike riding a bad name". Thirdly, as an actual biography it's useless. We learn nothing about his life or how he became a stunt rider, let alone WHY he did what he did. Instead you get some utterly preposterous flash backs which include Evel kidnapping his future wife, robbing a store and even City Hall (with dynamite!), making you think you're watching some kind of proto-'Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind'! Hamilton gives a very unnatural, mannered performance, and the supporting cast includes Sue Lyon ('Lolita') as his wife Linda, Bert Freed, who was in everything from 'Paths Of Glory' to 'Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?' to 'Billy Jack', made the same year as this (he's the guy who says "We got the law here, Billy Jack"), plays his long suffering doctor, and Peckinpah regular Dub Taylor has a nice bit towards the beginning as the promoter who gives Evel his first break at a rodeo. 'Evel Knievel' is in many ways an awful movie but 1970s heads will get a kick out of it. You either dig these kind of Drive In exploitation movies or you don't. If you do, check this one out, it's a hoot!

foxion This is really a fun movie. I have no idea if any of it remotely resembles the actual life of motorcycle showman Evel Knievel (I doubt it) but that does nothing to detract from the film. George Hamilton is great as Knievel. Both his performance and the film's script make you care about the character and that alone seperates it from most films. If you get a chance, watch it.