Le diable en boîte

This movie is a slightly surreal comedy about moviemaking. It's told with the perspective (if not always from the point of view) of a young fugitive who wanders onto the set and gets hired due to various complications. The movie people all seem larger than life to the fugitive, and since he's a little paranoid anyway, their motives seem complex and suspect. Peter O'Toole gives his usual performance, and he's perfect here as the flamboyant director (he must have had a great time sending up some blowhards of his past with this role). Steven Railsback does his usual disoriented guy on the edge, and he does it with a rather touchingly naive quality this time. Barbara Hershey is the leading lady love interest, delivers an intelligent and understated performance, and is appropriately bewitchingly beautiful. Roger Ebert didn't like this movie, but he got confused into thinking that it was something deeper than a comedy. It's about as deep as "Get Shorty", but with a completely different feel. The movie holds up pretty well, although the special effects look a little clunky sometimes, and I remember thinking they were pretty good when I saw the movie in its initial release. But the clunkiness isn't really distracting, and since the movie's attempts to "deceive" are all firmly tongue-in-cheek, it doesn't hurt.

There's questioning one's reality and then there's bending it through a prism six ways from Sunday. "The Stuntman" is the latter, which shrouds itself in questions and stymies you at every turn. Mostly, this is a well-constructed film and the mystery keeps you actively involved. It's fascinating how many layers this thing has. But even if you're not game for this sort of side-winding, it does have Peter O'Toole, which is a joyride unto himself. His megalomaniacal director is larger than life and might just be an evil genius. But he absolutely owns this movie, and it's a ferocious performance to beat them all. Amazing stuff. 7/10

At the time Peter O'Toole was Academy Award nominated as Best Actor, for his portrayal of one-step-above-God-himself, Eli Cross in The Stunt Man, my movie going experience was limited to The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, Mary Poppins, and some post pubescent indulgences into the realm of Flint, Matt Helm, and James Bond. Through the magic of video I was able to see Richard Rush's wonderful black comedy- And have never tired of it. Had Mr. O'Toole and The Stunt Man not run headlong into the likes of Raging Bull, and Robert De Niro, I venture to say it would have garnered WINS, not just NOMINATIONS from the Academy that year. Rent it…and while you're at it reach for `My Favorite Year' and make it a Peter O'Toole double feature. You will not be disappointed.