User Reviews

The story in and of itself is cliche in its aspects, about a person that has to do all the hard work but never gets to live and then ends up getting the girl he wants blah blah blah... however, it is shot beautifully and while it's basically Apple showing off, it has potential to help future videos and vertical cinema. The editing is great, the transitions are nice and the way it doesn't try to be horizontal is nice as well. The way that they put the film in a "how did we get to this point" is nice and interesting, and all together proves something. Nicely done, I suggest another one that has a specific drama.

"The Stunt Double" is an American 9-minute live action short film from August 2020, so this is not even half a year old, but it is already getting closer to 50 million views on Youtube. Not too shabby. This also has to do with the man in charge here being Oscar-nominated filmmaker Damien Chazelle. Basically, you can say to summarize it all that the entire thing is a really long commercial for Apple from beginning to end showing us ahwt their newest iPhone release is capable of. The story focuses on a stuntman here and he goes through all kinds of genres from beginning to end. It starts with the usual action that has a touch of Mission: Impossible. Also included are silent films, western movies, romance films, films set in space with alien fights, cinema francais and this is not even everything. Actually, the French cinema inclusion was maybe my favorite here, especially with how the colour blue was represented there. Exactly what it should be like the way it was included in the title there. This French film is one I definitely would have liked to check out. Immediately afterwards, we see how tough the life of a stuntman can be as he still carries an arrow in his torso that needs to be removed by the crew. That was kinda funny.

Tom McComas by the way plays the protagonist here and he is definitely an expert when it comes to this subject and you see that if you take a look at at his body of work and all the films in which he appeared already as a stuntman. Hollywood blockbusters. But no surprise really that they got somebody really experienced here with Chazelle in charge behind the camera. And I liked what McComas did. It would not have been a better watch with another actor. Good for him that he for once gets his moment in the limelight too, even if it once again about his actual profession and hos he is there, but not really seen. Anyway, with Chazelle, there are other successful players on board here, especially in terms of the crew, not so much in terms of the cast. Shane Valentino is a BAFTA-nominated production designer. Lorne Balfe is an Emmy-nominated musician. Linus Sandgren is of course an Oscar-winning cinematographer, who has worked with Chazelle several times. The slightly ironic thing is that there are also stuntmen credited with this film here, so those who filled in as stunt doubles for the Stunt Double. The ending is one that gender equality warriors will love I guess. I did not like it too much and it was one reason why I give it a thumbs-down. Besides, no matter how nice it may look visually, the format is not one I can get used to. And I have never been big on Apple anyway. So I suggest that, unless you really care about the company (mentioned them enough now), you skip the watch. Tarantino's will always be the defining stuntman movie. At least as of now. Maybe they should have gotten him instead of Chazelle.