Evel Knievel

This documentary is a fascinating study of legendary dare devil Evel Knievel, the man who jumped his motorcycle to international fame. The film is narrated by Evel himself, along with friends and family members, to tell the life story of this amazing man. Born in Butte, Montana, Knievel started out on the wrong side of the law, before learning to channel his incredible energy into motorcycle stunt jumping. Shown in slow motion are his best known jumps and crashes, including the jump of the fountain at Caesar's Palace and the awe inspiring attempt at jumping the Snake River Canyon. There are exciting clips from the 1971 feature film about Knievel, which starred George Hamilton. The documentary is an insightful and inspiring look at what it means to be courageous. Ironically, Evel Knievel's most dangerous adversary has not turned out to be his death defying jumps, but contracting hepatis C during one of many blood transfusions for injuries suffered in his stunts. Knievel received a liver transplant in 1999, outdistancing death at least one more time. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

Gordon M. Douglas' kitsch masterpiece starts as Evel Knievel (as himself) sneaks into an orphanage at midnight to distribute Evel Knievel action figures. Miraculously, one little boy casts aside his crutches and begins to walk. The plot kicks in as Evel, heading to a performance in Mexico, finds himself waylaid by nefarious drug dealers, headed by Stanley Millard (Leslie Nielsen), who plans to murder Evel in Mexico and then ship the body back across the border, loaded with drugs. Gene Kelly, of all people, is on hand as Will Atkins, Evel's sloppy-drunk sidekick. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide