"Stunt Man" may be the best way to open a meta-movie. A stunt double falls in love with an arrogant director.
The movie "Stuntman" directed by David Leitch and starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt held a special viewing event in Shanghai on May 9. The film will be released on May 17.
The film focuses on the special behind-the-scenes profession of stunt actors in the film industry. Many scenes within scenes reveal the filming process of Hollywood special effects blockbusters, with a "meta-movie" flavor; but the plot still follows Hollywood's love, action, and adventure. and other commercial genres, with both fun and laughter, ensuring the look and feel of a blockbuster with special effects on the big screen.
This year, there are many "meta-movies" that are limited to niche interests, such as "Mr. Red Carpet" and "Galaxy Writer", but failed at the box office. "Stuntman", which uses the artistic skin of "industry behind-the-scenes stories" to wrap popcorn inside, may have explored this. The right way to get Yuan movies to gain both word-of-mouth and box-office revenue.
"Stuntman" is adapted from the 1980s TV series of the same name. It tells the story of stuntman Colt who stopped working for a year due to an accidental injury. He received an invitation from his ex-girlfriend Jody to direct a new film. He originally wanted to win back the love of his life while taking care of his career. Fang Xin, but unexpectedly found himself involved in an evil criminal plan. As director David Leitch said, "Stunt Man" is "a love letter to stunt actors" and hopes that more audiences will recognize this group of unsung heroes behind the screen. Focusing on Colt's work scenes, the film shows many dazzling stunt scenes, from car chases on bridges, street chases, to an eight-and-a-half-turn car stunt that broke the Guinness World Record - it's hard to imagine that in other movies at the same time So many stunt shots are used, but in "Stunt Man", everything seems logical. While they just create the feeling of big screen excitement, they also serve the plot.
Whether it is an eight-and-a-half-turn car rollover, a 69-meter speeding jump, a 24-meter ship leap, a 46-meter fall from an altitude and other thrilling stunt scenes, the screen shock was achieved thanks to the hard work of the 87North production company and the stunt actors. In a previous connection with the special movie viewing scene in Beijing, Sun Nuo, the action design director of "Stuntman", introduced the shooting details of the difficult action scenes in the film. What impressed him most was the chase scene on the Sydney Harbor Bridge - this kind of scene is usually performed with a blue screen, but the production team decided to shoot it entirely in real location. In the scene where the garbage truck drags Gosling on the trash can through the streets of Sydney, 50 stunt drivers were used to present a breathtaking scene using in-camera shooting techniques, which are also played in the scene. The appearance forms an intertext.
As shown in the previous documentary "David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived", David, a stuntman who served as the male protagonist's double in "Harry Potter", was injured in an accident during a filming and has been unlucky ever since. paralysis. Stunt actors are a profession full of dangers, and they often walk on the edge of life. "Stuntman" mentions the bitterness of the profession of stuntmen, but it does not use it as an entry point or tear point, but rather emphasizes that they challenge the limits of human beings. professional adventurous spirit. The actual filming process of the stuntmen is shown in the post-credits credits, and the main film is left to the popular narrative of commercial blockbusters-conspiracy and love. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt bring an interesting interpretation of "cool stuntman meets arrogant movie director" in the film. In the film, the couple teamed up to solve the mystery of the actor's disappearance, uncovering a greedy conspiracy. After experiencing hardships together, they learned to cherish each other, and successfully completed a science fiction romance blockbuster that reflects the process of the Hollywood film industry - it is an obvious tribute to " Dune" made movie fans laugh.
Like "Mr. Red Carpet" and "Galaxy Writers" released this year, "Stunt Man" can also be regarded as a meta-movie that focuses on the film industry itself, and it contains many "cinema memes" that pay tribute to classic movies. ", which received high praise from movie fans after its premiere at the Beijing Film Festival. Interestingly, it also ends in the same way as "Galaxy Writer".
However, not many of the previous "meta-movies" have achieved commercial success after being released in theaters. Many scholars believe that the public may not really be interested in understanding the film industry itself. Too much self-talk and emphasis on the author's expression will only increase the price. threshold for movie viewing. "Stuntman" is not limited to the idea of telling industry stories. It still contains traditional Hollywood routines. But even if it only has a superficial layer of discussion about the stunt industry, it is this layer that makes it appear different. It has the freshness and depth of topic compared to traditional Hollywood blockbusters.
"Stuntman" will be officially launched in major theaters across the country on May 17, and the schedule is approaching the "520" slot. The director and producer of the film also wish everyone to go with their loved ones on May 20 Entering the theater, you can experience the sweet two-way rush in the film, and you can also clearly feel its commercial positioning.
By integrating commercial genres with authorial expression and finding the right way to open a meta-movie, perhaps this film can become a dark horse after the May 1st Film Festival.
