Fall guys
Don't let Gary Kent's personal kindness and gentle demeanor fool you.
Inside Kent, the subject of Joe O'Connell's fascinating documentary Danger God, rages a cunning creative lion of a stuntman, writer, filmmaker, author and actor who fell off a horse for a young Jack Nicholson in some Monte Hellman Westerns in the 1960s, got in a knife fight with The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant in the '70s, flipped cars, orchestrated and participated in scores of cinematic fist fights and had a run-in with Charles Manson (Yes, that Charles Manson) along the way.
Danger God is harsh reality in two parts. O'Connell heads to the B-movie archives for Kent's stunt-stuff and acting clips at first as a showcase of real danger lurking in a make-believe movie world. The reality gets all too real in the second half, however. O'Connell's seemingly ever-present camera focuses on Kent as he faces challenge after challenge in his personal life, including the illness of his beloved wife Tomi Barrett, who co-starred in The Pyramid in 1976. (Full disclosure: Gary was kind enough to cast me in a small role as a TV anchorman in The Pyramid as well.)
Danger God is a rip-roaring must-see for movie buffs, B-movie fans in general, Gary Kent fans in particular and anyone curious about one of Hollywood's truly good guys tough enough to wear his heart on his sleeve no matter how many times it gets stomped on.
According to O'Connell, Danger God is available on DVD at Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target and many other places.
Comments