'The Stunt Driver' Review
Release Date: 09/25/26 [Cinemas]
Genre: Biography. Comedy. Drama. History.
MPAA: Rated R.
Distributor: Independent Film Company.
The Verdict: A Must-See
There is something inherently fascinating about people willing to put their lives on the line for a spectacle, but The Stunt Driver understands that the fear behind the wheel can be just as compelling as the jump itself. Reuniting with Goon director Michael Dowse, Jay Baruchel stars as legendary Canadian stunt driver Ken Carter, in a role that plays naturally to his comedic instincts while drawing on the more dramatic side of his range seen in films like BlackBerry. Baruchel captures Carter as a man completely enamored with what he does, even as the danger never becomes entirely routine. He projects the confidence and showmanship needed to sell an impossible stunt while still letting flashes of genuine fear break through. That contradiction gives The Stunt Driver a human element beneath the spectacle and becomes one of the film's greatest strengths.
Dowse also tells Carter's story in a particularly effective way, making the film feel as though it could have been shot during the period it depicts. The camera frequently has the immediacy of a documentary crew following Carter and those around him. At the same time, the cinematography captures the texture and imperfections of era footage rather than simply dressing a modern film in period detail. It gives The Stunt Driver an authenticity that extends beyond its cars, costumes, and production design, while helping its recreations of Carter's stunts feel remarkably convincing. Those sequences deliver the spectacle, but Dowse wisely keeps Carter at the center, ensuring the danger feels tangible rather than reducing the jumps to elaborate set pieces.
The story surrounding those stunts proves compelling in its own right, populated by colorful personalities who make Carter's increasingly ambitious pursuits all the more entertaining to watch. Ben Foster makes an impression as Evel Knievel. At the same time, Ed Helms delivers one of the stronger supporting performances as Carter's manager, Dick Keller, with the role allowing him more dramatic material than his familiar comedic persona might suggest. Some supporting characters, however, could have benefited from more development. Keller is clearly established, and Helms makes the most of what he is given, but there is still room to understand him beyond his function within Carter's story. At the same time, Gloria is even more noticeably underserved. The characters work within the narrative, but a little more time spent with them could have added another dimension to Carter's relationships and the personal consequences of his obsession.
That lack of deeper exploration occasionally extends to Carter himself. The Stunt Driver effectively communicates why he loves what he does and, crucially, never mistakes courage for an absence of fear, but it leaves you wanting to know more about the man when the crowds are gone, and the engines are quiet. More intimate moments or additional insight into his past could have strengthened an emotional payoff that is already solid but stops short of being as affecting as it could have been. The film also has minor pacing issues, and the movement between comedy and heavier dramatic material isn't always seamless. Neither problem significantly disrupts the film's momentum, but giving its more serious moments more room to breathe might have let some of Carter's vulnerability resonate more deeply.
The Stunt Driver turns an already fascinating true story into something distinctive, entertaining, and remarkably authentic. Dowse's approach gives the film an identity of its own, with the period-authentic presentation making it feel less like history being reconstructed and more like something unfolding in front of a camera that happened to be there. Baruchel is excellent at the center of it, balancing Carter's eccentricity and humor with enough vulnerability to remind us that knowing exactly what can go wrong doesn't stop him from climbing behind the wheel again. The film could dig further beneath that personality, and a handful of supporting characters deserve more attention, but what is here remains funny, engaging, and impressively crafted. The Stunt Driver ultimately understands that Carter's willingness to make the jump is interesting, but the fact that part of him is still afraid to make it is what makes him worth watching.
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