The film begins with a dangerous stunt conducted by Australia’s favourite stuntman, Grant Page. If you are unfamiliar with some of Grant’s work, he’s featured in many smash-hit Aussie films such as Danger Freaks and The Man from Hong Kong. After smashing a new record by doing a wild stunt known as a “death slide” and being the ultimate “human catapult,” Grant is moving on to bigger things in life which will be his biggest challenge yet. His work is now in such demand that he agrees to travel to Hollywood to work as a stuntman on new hit series known as Undercover Girl.
When Grant arrives in Hollywood, he gets a lift from his cousin, who is well-connected with a popular Rock ‘n Roll band named Sorcery. Grant is quite interested in this band as he’s heard they’re skilled magicians and gifted and talented musicians. From here, we see Grants’ involvement with the TV series, conducting various stunts. We also get to relive various stunts from his past, and strangely enough, various random musical numbers also greet us from Sorcery, who at various times perform in concert.
Stunt Rock is half an action film and half a rock concert. Grant’s work in various stunt roles is the most exciting moments of this feature, and they are always wild to see. The stunts look great visually, especially considering when this feature was made. The Director, Brian Trenchard-Smith, has also done a tremendous job at combining various stunt clips from past and present, showing some of them in slow motion or using a split-screen effect with different angles of the stunt. These editing choices give viewers full enjoyment of the stunt and deliver fun moments. When Grant isn’t doing a stunt, audiences will experience a simple yet almost non-existent plot and various musical numbers.
While I generally enjoy almost all forms of Rock n’ Roll music, I’m disappointed to say how much I didn’t enjoy the musical aspect of this film, mostly because it seems unnecessary to the plot. Given the number of times that Sorcery appeared for a random rock number on stage, they truly overstayed their welcome. These moments of the film feel duller and less exciting than the dangerous stunts. The film also introduces a romance story, with Grant pursuing a reporter who happens to be writing an article about his life. The romance aspect is another element that I found myself generally not caring for. Again, I was more excited to return to the stunts and action.
Overall, Stunt Rock will be entertaining if you love wild and crazy stunts with some Rock n’ Roll randomly thrown into the mix. The plot here is highly vague and almost non-existent, with the whole film serving as a device to put Australian stuntman Grant Page in the spotlight. It’s great to see Grant’s best work on-screen, and naturally, every stunt is impressive and tremendous to look at visually, thanks to the awesome new scan by Umbrella Entertainment. While I found myself applauding all the stunts on display, the other aspect of the film- Sorcery performing in concert- didn’t do it for me. Plus, some of their musical numbers overstay their welcome; however, I accept the band will certainly have its own screaming fans. When paired with big stunts, no matter your love for stunts or Rock’ n Roll, it’s still a great time for Australian Cinema.
5.8/10
17th July 2022
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
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