What would you do to make sure people remember you? Would you do something dangerous? Put your life on the line? Canadian daredevil Ken Carter would. We in the United States have Evel Knievel, but Carter is known as the “Mad Canadian” for a reason. Jay Baruchel gives one of the best performances of his career in The Stunt Driver, a heartfelt and funny underdog story based on Robert Fortier’s acclaimed doc, The Devil at Your Heels.
Baruchel, sporting a thick goatee and a pair of goofy crossed eyes, doesn’t strike you as some wild man. But that’s the thing about these stuntmen like Knievel and Carter, is how normal they appear. Carter is a dreamer who aspires to jump a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental one mile over the St. Lawrence River. It’s a seemingly impossible task, but Carter is less concerned about chasing history than he is chasing respect and recognition.
Writer/director Michael Dowse, who worked with Baruchel previously on another Canadian comedy favorite, Goon, focuses on Carter’s obsession with legacy and how it can not only be personally dangerous, but also manipulated by others. After years of costly delays, Carter’s shady promoter Bill Wilkins (played by Dan Bakkedahl), threatens to take it all away from Carter unless he does the jump whether conditions are safe or not. Carter, feeling the pressure to be better than Knievel, is driven by this need for everyone to be his friend, and to be remembered. “When I fly, everyone is my friend”, he says.
Those who know Carter’s story will understand that it has to take a darker turn, however, The Stunt Driver is full of heartfelt moments with the people who brought joy to his life. Ed Helms has a fantastic role as Dick Keller, a literal rocket scientist who reluctantly agrees to help design the car and make sure the jump is safe. He has no problem being blunt in his assessment that this stunt is absurd and stupidly dangerous, reiterating frequently that he’s not there to make sure it’s successful. The only thing he cares about is making sure Carter survives.
We also get a solid performance from Laurence Leboeuf as Carter’s supportive wife, Gloria, who, more than anyone else, carries the fear that each jump might be his last. Ben Foster is good as Knievel, a rival who Carter initially resents but has to learn to work with.
The Stunt Driver is frequently torn between celebrating its subject in a serious way, and telling the goofy comedy it also wants to be. The film is constantly fighting to portray Carter as the Canadian hero that he was to so many, as if fighting the same fight for respect that he did all of his life. The Stunt Driver is a lot like Carter; it has a big heart, big aspirations, and doesn’t always stick the landing. Carter was someone who refused to keep his feet on the ground, and it’s hard not to champion someone who saw the sky as the limit.
The Stunt Driver opens on September 25th from Independent Film Company.
*NOTE: This review was originally part of my TIFF 2026 coverage.*
