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+

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.

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.

When I saw it was going to be a 99 minute long documentary about Evel Knievel I was wondering if they could fill all that time with something interesting to watch. As an European I only knew Evel Knievel as a daredevil, like everyone else in the world at that time, but nothing about his day-to-day life. So yes it was a very interesting story to watch, very well made, with a lot of interviews from people that knew him very well. The message was clear that Evel Knievel perfectly knew what he did, he's smarter then you would think, a perfect con-man that knows how to work people and media. Via his stunts (something never did before at that time) he made his money, not only by manipulating the whole circus that he created himself, but also with some crazy stunts that nobody would think of doing. It became clear he wasn't the most pleasant man on earth, you could blame it on not being able to handle the fame even though I think he mastered that, or blame it on the stress and the pain he suffered daily (that seems more plausible to me), but the fact is that he was kind of a bully and that even long before pain and/or fame. That said, everybody loved his stunts, but not everybody loved the man. This documentary is very open about the life of Evel Knievel, it's not only the good things they show, it's the whole package and that made this documentary stand out of the rest. Very well made! Recommended to the fans but also to anybody that likes good documentaries.

Without Evel Knievel would we've been treated to such popular events as extreme sports, such shows as Jackass/The Dudeson's and would we've had superstars like Johnny Knoxville, The Crusty Demons and a range of other noteworthy names pushing the boundaries of what's expected from performers and athletes? It's an intriguing question and one that filmmaker Daniel Junge looks to answer in his by the books but insightful examination of Robert Craig Knievel's aka "Evel Knievel" rise and fall.

Produced by Jackass lynchpins Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine, Being Evel is a clear love letter from the two gentleman and in particular Knoxville who was inspired by Knievel as a child so much so that he became the household name he is today. Knoxville spends time in front of the camera speaking about Knievel's impact on his life and the admiration he has for him shines through but Junge's trump card is the amount of Knievel acquaintances he manages to round up to talk intimately about the performer who pushed himself and pushed away those he loved with a prickly, womanising demeanour that eventually drove him off the edge.

Being Evel shows a clear divide between the Evel the thousands upon thousands of crowd members saw and the one that operated behind closed doors and those who believe Evel to be a lovable American flag waver will be shocked by some of the man's behavioural tendencies from an explosive temper, unfaithfulness to his loved ones and desire to push himself no matter the physical or mental costs.

Utilising the talking heads with ample archival footage, Junge collates everything into a clearly decipherable manner but the documentary never strays to far from its TV like roots and there are moments throughout the film where the interest levels will waver but there always bought back around again with Evel's next outlandish actions never too far away.

In the age in which boundaries are being pushed daily through professional and more Youtube like ways, Evel Knievel's antics may now seem a little "so what" but there's little point in denying that his the granddaddy of the showmanship and conceptual ideas of the modern day extreme athletes and performers. Being Evel is a must watch for Knievel fans and an insightful (if overly workmanlike) event for us bystanders.

3 blinged up walking canes out of 5