Rating: **
Review Date: 6/7/14
Written And Directed By: Brian Trenchard-Smith
Cast: Grant Page
Wow. Calling this a film is a bit of a stretch. It's more like a demo reel for Australian stuntman Grant Page and a Los Angeles based heavy metal band called Sorcery. As writer/director/producer Brian Trenchard-Smith puts it, "There are studio systems put in place to make sure that films like this never get made. This time, the system failed." Similar to H.B. Halicki's "The Junkman" (1982), this film breaks the wall between reality and fantasy, presenting Page as both a character and a real person, starring in a movie/documentary as an actor playing himself. It's really bizarre. The movie opens with Page flying to L.A. as a stuntman for a TV show called "Undercover Girl," and he meets up with his cousin who is a performer in a band called Sorcery. What follows is a disconnected collection of dangerous stunts and live concert performances which are linked together via an American journalist who is intent on interviewing Page for a magazine article that she's writing. That's pretty much it. Rock and roll, magic, and stunts - it's called STUNT ROCK!
It really is an awful film, but Page is so charming and charismatic that you can't help but cheer for him and his outrageous feats. He brings authenticity to the absurd premise, and you get a true sense of how serious and passionate he is about his work. Jaw-dropping stunt clips from previous films are interspersed throughout, giving the show a real documentary feel. Sorcery is quite entertaining, combining live rock and roll with dueling wizards and magic tricks. They could quite easily be the inspiration for Spinal Tap. While the concert footage drags on way too long and quickly becomes tiresome, it's still a fascinating look into the sights and sounds of the 1970's. It's certainly an experience like no other, and worth checking out if you're a fan of Brian Trenchard-Smith's particular brand of anarchy and insanity.