Evel Knievel

A fascinating and enjoyable film about the daredevil motorcyclist-stuntman (played ebulliently by Hamilton, although the spectacular stunt scenes are documentary footage of Knievel himself). Piecing together events in his life - his early delinquent driving, an attempted safe-cracking career, and the increasing audacity of his legendary rides - it portrays something of an egomaniac, basking in the light of his own fame while privately racked by neuroses. Chomsky's seemingly nonchalant direction, from a script by John Milius and Alan Caillou, sensibly refuses neat psychological explanations, and instead opens out to provide a finely detailed portrait of middle America.