Being Evel

Released in 2015 and directed by Daniel Junge, "Being Evel" is a documentary on the rise, glory and fall of the stuntman who started the sport of motorcycle jumping and was the catalyst to widespread daredevilry of the sort.

To let you know how great this documentary is, I decided to check out 15-20 minutes when it was already past my bedtime and I ended up viewing the whole film. It's THAT compelling. The movie contains interviews with every primary person linked to Robert 'Evel' Knievel, including associates, employees, relatives, reporters and those he inspired. It's such a fascinating story of a flawed man who was obsessed with success and recognition to the point he regularly risked life and limb.

Family members point out that they lost Bobby Knievel to Evel Knieval as he conquered the world with his daredevilry and ensuing fame. To cope with the stress of regularly facing death and the ever-increasing pain of his multiple wounds he turned to alcohol, meds and loose sex. By the time of his Snake River Canyon jump he was so anxious he turned on the reporters, which was a bad move since they were the ground laborers that assisted his fame. After his 1977-78 conviction and six months prison sentence for assaulting the writer of his biography (which everyone involved said was accurate and, if anything, too tame), he lost most of his marketing endorsements and deals, including Harley-Davidson and Ideal Toys, which led to his bankruptcy.

Despite his glaring downfall, the movie thankfully ends on a very positive note.

The film runs 99 minutes. GRADE: A+

I'm one of those 70s kids that literally wore out my Ideal Evel Knievel toy cycle. There's nothing it couldn't jump (in my mind).

So it goes without saying I adored the guy at the time.

No longer.

I always knew he was a person that lived on the edge, but never knew how abusive he was - emotionally, and notably physically - to the people close to him, until I saw this wonderful documentary.

We learn briefly about his upbringing, and the rough life in Montana. Looking back then it's clear he was a self-obsessed grifter. And we get to hear from the people that knew him best, but no one seemed to like him. At all.

Have no idea why his wife stuck with him for so long. She seems a sweetheart.

Anyway, the movie provides a lot of insight into the man, accompanied by lots of footage I'd never seen before. Well done and moves quickly. A notable piece of 70s Americana. Definitely worth a watch.

And as a teen, I used to continuously ride a bicycle with both arms behind my head.

To be honest, i was never aware of Knievel.

It was Roger Moore's question "Ever heard of Evel Knievel?" to Sheriff JW Pepper before the epic car stunt jump in The Man with Golden Gun prompted me to check this guy's history including this documentary.

This one is very informative n Knievel was truly a daredevil.

One needs balls of steel to perform such jumps man.

I used to do such stunts while playing Excite Bike game.

Robert "Evel" Kneivel was a daredevil, a hustler, and a good-looking young man whose motorcycling jumping, attempted without any respect to what we would now call health and safety, thrilled audiences who, as he once said, "didn't want him to die, but wanted to be there if he did". He came to live his own legend, firstly by attempting insanely stupid things (for example, the Snake River "jump") because his reputation demanded it, and ultimately by coming to believe he could make his own rules (something which led him to cheat on his wife, go to prison for assault, and so on). The latter cost him his lucrative endorsements and his later life was lived in the shadow of his earlier fame. On a purely technical level, it could be said that Evel wasn't even especially talented (although his primitive equipment didn't help) - he is after all a man most famous for crashing - but in some ways, the self-promotion is the story, and for those of us who grew up in the 1970s, he remains an iconic figure, a superhero in the flesh. Consider him just a celebrity and the arc of his life, crashing to earth like the Snake River rocket-bike, makes more sense. 'Being Evel' is a fascinating exploration of a complex and iconic figure; and gives you some sympathy for the man, even though he could be a monster. There are easier ways to make a living than he did; and in some ways, simply 'Being Evel' was far harder work than any of his stunts.

Long before this generation's fail stunt montage and insane extreme sport tricks, there was a famed daredevil who is equally charismatic and audacious. This is a appreciation of Evel Knievel's life in honest manner, delivering the larger-than-life stunts as well as the insightful story of the man even when he's at his controversial peak. It takes someone with bravado to not only present a spectacle, but also an entire captivating visage.

The documentary takes a various account of Evel's relatives, friends and even pop celebrities. It's almost like a tale from 70s movie of hotheaded stuntman, adoration of danger and just the charm of outlandish event beyond daily grind. By using detailed perspective of people who were there at the time, it makes an intriguing story of a flawed hero.

It doesn't hide negative things about the man, instead bringing some of his darker more undesired side into light. As much as Evel has inspired people, the documentary doesn't only glorify his achievements. It candidly, although still delicately, displays the broken habit while his body is continuously worn down. This, in turn, produces a more humane point of view even though his actions at the time might not be agreeable.

It also encapsulates the tension between the jumps, the preparations of it and both the success and failure that follow. Some of these are pretty well-known, yet it's still a fascinating spectacle due to emotion invested on the jumps, even from bystanders. There are a couple of segments that highlight the effort appropriately and these moments can be appreciated decades after the stunts themselves.

From people who celebrate his, this is a documentary of inspiring man behind famous name and costume, his dazzling accomplishments and also some of his unfortunately missteps.