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What If Stunts Stunted The Stunt Driver?

Category:

By

Paul Hudson

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3–4 minutes

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*Movie poster credit to: http://www.impawards.com/intl/canada/2026/stunt_driver.html*

The Stunt Driver is a historical comedy film by Michael Dowse remembering the life of Ken Carter (played by Jay Baruchel), a Canadian daredevil stuntman (though if you watch the movie, you’ll learn he really doesn’t like the daredevil description). The main event, covering about 90 minutes of the movie, is “The Mad Canadian” planning to drive a rocket fueled and equipped car across the Saint-Laurent river, a mile jump, from an around 90 foot high ramp.

I left The Stunt Driver running to see the next movie I wanted to catch that day, but even in the second theatre, I found myself stuck thinking about The Stunt Driver. The movie surprised me, being unexpectedly deeper than I anticipated a historical comedy to be. I couldn’t get my mind off the 99 minute drive.

Voices

“The Stunt Driver is a biopic that was inspired by a documentary on stuntman Ken Carter”1.

“This is a really interesting biopic that takes this very little known figure, this Canadian stunt driver. He always wanted to be known as a stunt driver. He hated the term daredevil.”2.

“This is based on true events. Canadian stunt driver Ken Carter. Ed Helms is also in this, as is Ben Foster.”3

“He goes, ‘I am a trained stunt driver. This stuff I do is planned and like, tries to be safe’. But his goal is to make a mile long jump in a car over a river”4.

Thoughts

Ken Carter was my first look into the life of a stuntman. Though it wasn’t a full biopic and aiming for strictly historical accuracy, I appreciate the film’s direction in showing Ken as a rounded individual. He claims to not have been the smartest in an academic sense, but he knew how to manage his money, at least well enough to fund the project across the Saint-Laurent River.

For Ken, stunts defined his life, so much so he felt it was his calling to do what others couldn’t. He aimed to free the imagination of those who thought his stunts were impossible. To me, it felt as if it was a physical rendition of liberation, of imagination, that has no bounds. And with that I give Ken Carter the most respect as an aspiring creator who wants to build a system for others to experience purpose through liberation.

However, In the film, I believe Ken was stunted by his stunts. For years, Ken spent time recruiting sponsors, scientists, and a camera crew to help him broadcast his feat to the rest of the world. Ken’s only focus was to be remembered as the greatest stuntman to ever live, and Ken was consumed by Evel Knievel, a “phony stuntman” he despised. As time passed, those closest to him grew weary of hearing his plans, they broke down at the fear of his safety, and even became enraged as finances were stretched longer and longer. Ken wanted everyone to like him so much, and there are times throughout the film where he loses everyone around him.

Well, almost everyone…

The Stunt Driver allowed me to consider what drives life and what, if anything, do stunts add to life? In reflection, I had to and am continuing to evaluate whether I am still in the driver’s seat of my life, and if the stunts I’m aiming to complete are answering the questions my soul is yearning for me to explore. Maybe Ken figured it out, maybe he didn’t.

I guess you’ll have to see for yourself.

Maybe try a stunt on your drive to the theatres.

(Please don’t, drive safe, buckle up).

P.S Journal Entry

To avoid feeling stunted

I will hear patience

I will smell intention

I will see resourcefulness

I will taste discipline.

To avoid feeling drove over

I will taste discipline

I will see resourcefulness

I will smell intention

I will hear patience.

Scope of Sense is coming

I will lead with purpose

I will behave with structure

I will lead away from decay

I will behave without judgement

I will lead with clouds

I will behave through restoration

I will lead with self-love

I will behave with wisdom.

I will not stunt my drive

We will not stunt our drives.

References

  1. “FilmWeek: ‘Primetime’, ‘Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother’, ‘Forgotten Island’ and More!” FilmWeek. September 25, 2026. Podcast. https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ysL1SbpquRGQyJLmzPaoD ↩︎
  2. “FilmWeek ↩︎
  3. “The Movie Show: Forgotten Island.” The KSL Movie Show. September 25, 2026. Podcast. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5QUYf4uj3OU6XRVjULQ0Fa ↩︎
  4. The Movie Show ↩︎

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