EVEL KNIEVEL (1971) *** ½

If you didn’t live in the ‘70s, the thrill of seeing Evel Knievel may be lost on you.  All those so-called “Extreme Sports” guys had nothing on him.  He was the original American daredevil.

It’s important I bring up the “American” aspect.  The act of riding a motorcycle in and of itself is just as American as it is badass.  Jumping a motorcycle over a row of cars at top speed is equally American and badass.  The same goes for wearing a jumpsuit (at least in the ‘70s, that is).  Combine all those elements and you have yourself Evel Knievel.  To hammer home the Americana angle, Knievel’s jumpsuit was red, white, and blue.  Because of that, when he jumped over cars on his motorcycle, it was almost as if America was jumping with him.  

You may scoff at that notion, but star/producer George Hamilton sure doesn’t.  That’s why he starts the picture as Knievel, staring directly at the audience and comparing his legendary motorcycle feats to the accomplishments of Christopher Columbus and the Wright Brothers.  Not only does this crystalize the connection between Evel and Americana at its purest, it rightfully sets himself up as an equally important historical figure that should never be forgotten.  

As for the movie itself… It’s more or less your standard kind of biopic.  We see Knievel waiting in his dressing room as he prepares to make his latest record-breaking stunt.  As the testy Knievel barks orders at his long-suffering doctor (Burt Freed) and wife (the late Sue Lyon from Lolita), he reminisces in flashback about the events in his life that brought him to this point.

The best part is the segment devoted to Knievel’s greatest stunts featuring footage of the real Evel Knievel.  We even get to see his biggest spill at Caesar’s Palace where he nearly broke every bone in his body.  This stuff is a lot more entertaining than the scenes of him courting his high school sweetheart (and by that, I mean his sweetheart who is still in high school) that bogs down the final act.  Despite that, Hamilton gives a dynamite performance, and is a lot of fun to watch.  

The film was co-written by the great John (Red Dawn) Milius, who gives Hamilton a bunch of memorable monologues.  He’s particularly awesome in the scene where he gives a television interview and becomes annoyed when the reporter compares him to “Easy Rider”.  He says, “I don’t smoke dope.  I don’t need to get high.  I don’t need anything to back me up.  I get high all the time on adrenaline!  On TERROR!”