Since the first trailers, The Fall Guy has aroused a lot of curiosity, thanks to a cast that seems absolutely partial. However, one of the merits of the film directed by David Leitch is already on paper in its desire to shine the spotlight on an overly underestimated category of workers: stuntmen. These extraordinary acrobats, although they are never shown in the face, have the aim of giving life to those action scenes so loved by the general public. Between a jump from the window, a reckless driving session and a hand-to-hand battle, stuntmen (or stunt performers) demonstrate every day how the magic of cinema is often, in reality, a great illusion.
The aforementioned David Leitch, former director of Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and Bullet Train, but also famous for his work as a stuntman in the Nineties and stunt double for Brad Pitt, knows this well. Fragments of his past that led him not only to shoot well-choreographed action films, but also to create a real tribute film to the world of stunts. Film taken from the TV series known in Italy as “Professione difficile” and broadcast on RAI in the 1980s.
A REWARDLESS LIFE
But what’s it like to live like a stuntman? A more than legitimate question, but too dangerous to be explored. Almost. Video games have the extraordinary ability to make us live a thousand different lives, making us take on the role of the hero or heroine of the moment. With this feature, it was obvious that sooner or later someone would make a title designed to make us play as a stuntman. And so it happened. In 2002 Infogrames published “Stuntman”, a work developed by Reflection Interactive which immediately achieved moderate success.
Stuntman puts us in the shoes of an action film stunt double, specialized in extreme driving sessions. Through the “Career” mode the player therefore finds himself experiencing six different film genres. Films ranging from a film that seems to have come out of Guy Ritchie’s filmography, up to a desert chase in full Indiana Jones style. However, the purpose of the title is not to win a race or defeat your opponents. The player’s objective is in fact to follow the director’s instructions to create the best possible scene. An achievement enhanced at the end of each level, with the creation of a trailer that mixes pre-recorded sequences with the best moments of the player’s game.
Do you like the idea of being able to carry out such risky actions, but have you always dreamed of being the director of your own film? Perfect: the “Stunt Construction” mode allows you to “furnish” your own arena and bring your action film to life, then putting you in the shoes of the poor stuntman who will find himself forced to overcome all the obstacles placed on his long path towards the end of filming . A brilliant addition, which entertained many players at the time.
ADRENALINE IN YOUR POCKET
Although the flagship title was Stuntman developed by Refelctions Interactive (a company later purchased by Ubisoft in 2006) Infogrames decided to quickly start a new chapter. No sequels, prequels or spin-offs this time, but rather a transposition of the first game for the mobile market. The choice obviously fell on Game Boy Advance and the project was entrusted to the guys at VD-dev, who have always been experts in working on titles for Nintendo platforms. Stuntman came out about a year after its “big brother”, once again proving to be a work of reasonable quality.
The Game Boy Advance version lost the ability to create your own set, but retained the underlying gameplay structure of the project. The graphics sector did not reach the levels seen on PlayStation 2, however it was among the best of that period on the portable console from the Kyoto company. In short: Stuntman was also a moderate success in this new version, confirming the validity of the initial idea. An idea so interesting that it also gave rise to a real sequel, which arrived on the market in 2007.
A DEFINITE SEQUEL
With Infogrames changing its name to Atari and the sale of a specific division of the company to THQ, Stunman: Ignition was born under the aegis of Paradigm Entertainment and was published on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and translated once again into a mobile version. The game is an evolution of what we saw in the first chapter, with six new films to shoot and where we can show off our extraordinary skills. This time it’s the turn of “2012” style disaster movies and superhero films, complete with a parody of Tim Burton’s Batman. Choices certainly in step with the Hollywood films of the time and which contributed to the success of this second episode.
A success, however, only in terms of criticism, given that sales figures failed to fully satisfy THQ. In fact, the famous Publisher decided to definitively put the word “END” on the franchise. To make matters worse, Paradigm Entertainment was closed the year following the release of Stuntman: Ignition, also decreeing the dissolution of the team behind the brand. Years later, Stuntman is a series that has now fallen into oblivion, but which all those who have had the opportunity to try remember with pleasure. A memory that we wanted to share with you, given the imminent release of a film like The Fall Guy. A film that celebrates, in its own way, the work of all stuntmen.
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