"Stunts" is a combination of action movie and murder mystery that works well both ways: there are some truly impressive stunts (duh!), but the mystery plot ain't bad, either (I was almost certain about the person who was behind the killings based on Roger Ebert's "Law Of Economy Of Characters"....I was wrong). The actors give understated performances and create believable characters. Joanna Cassidy, in one of her first roles, has the one big physical and emotional outburst in a bar, showing hints of the talent that has kept her career going for more than four decades. The efforts of many real-life stuntmen (like Gary Davis, who plays Robert Forster's brother) guarantee the stunts' authenticity and legitimacy. **1/2 out of 4.

In the 1960s, Robert Forster was starring in major studio movies like "Medium Cool" and "Reflections In A Golden Eye". But something happened to his career, and by 1977 he was appearing in low budget product like this movie. All the same, Forster gives a pretty credible performance, and the general level of acting by the other performers is acceptable. But it's hard to think of anything else positive about this movie. There are a number of stunt sequences, but they come off as just okay at best, routine at their worst. The main problem is with the script. Forster's character is supposed to be investigating his brother's death as well as the deaths of other stuntmen, but he hardly does any investigating at all. Most of the movie is obvious padding, and the revelation of the culprit only seems to come because the movie can't be padded out any more. Only if you're desperate.

In the late 70s and early 80s, action films didn't rely on CGI to wow the audiences; stunts were what packed in the crowds—real stunts performed by real stuntmen.Anything with cars flying 30 feet through the air would be guaranteed to fill the theatres and the limits were pushed by these 'fall guys' as to what they would do in order to impress. Stunts—AKA 'Who Is Killing the Stuntmen?' AKA 'The Deadly Game' (UK video title)—tells of one such guy, Glen Wilson (Robert Forster), who becomes involved in the making of a movie after his brother mysteriously dies performing a stunt. Suspecting foul play, he searches for clues between filming, aided by a feisty female reporter (Fiona Lewis).Director Mark L. Lester, who later helmed the 80s 'classics' Class of 1984 and Commando, packs the film with all manner of death defying feats, but struggles to make anything special from the run-of-the-mill script. Despite a good performance from the ever-reliable Forster and good support from a raft B-movie regulars (including the great Richard Lynch), the result feels very much like a made-for-TV movie, and lacks the grittiness I was hoping for.Stunts is enjoyable on a nostalgic level (if you love the vibe of 70s flicks, then there is some fun to be had from the movie's general atmosphere), and it does contain a few fairly impressive action sequences, but I found that, even at a running time of less than an hour and a half, the film only just managed to keep my attention.

The always terrific and charismatic Robert ("Alligator") Forster gives a typically fine and engaging performance as a gutsy ace veteran stuntman who's working on a troubled low-budget action picture that's being plagued by the unusual and alarming "accidental" deaths of several other stuntmen performing dangerous gags for the film. Director Mark ("Night of the Running Man") Lester, working from a smart and compelling script by Dennis Johnson and Barney Cohen, expertly maintains a steady pace throughout, stages the plentiful superb and stirring stunts with considerable brio and skill, and offers an intriguing behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of a down'n'dirty indie feature. The first-rate cast of familiar B-movie faces qualifies as another substantial asset: Fiona ("The Fury") Lewis as a feisty journalist doing an article on the crazy stunt profession, Bruce ("Walking Tall") Glover, Joanna ("The Glove") Cassidy and Ray ("The Idolmaker") Sharkey as fellow courageous stunt people, Richard ("God Told Me To") Lynch as the special effects coordinator, Candice ("Summer School Teachers") Rialson as a flirtatious stuck-up harlot of a starlet, and Darrell ("Blood Beach") Fetty as an eager beaver production assistant. Bruce ("Jackson County Jail") Logan's crisp cinematography, Michael Kamen's thrilling, melodic score, and the groovy theme song are all likewise up to snuff. A very cool and undeservedly neglected little sleeper that's a funky 70's drive-in flick precursor to the very similar (and stupendous) "The Stuntman."