Film: The Devil Dared Me To
Year of production: 2007
UK Release date: 23rd May 2011
Distributor: FrightFest
Certificate: 18
Running time: 75 mins
Director: Chris Stapp
Starring: Chris Stapp, Matt Heath, Bonnie Soper, Andrew Beattie, Phil Brough
Genre: Action/Comedy
Format: DVD
Country of Production: New Zealand
Language: English
Review by: Matthew Evans
Directed by Chris Stapp, The Devil Dared Me To offers a gore filled, yet comic, take on the world of stunt performers. Whilst it is first and foremost a slapstick comedy, the fact that it screened at FrightFest, back in 2007, just goes to illustrate the film's fixation with blood, injury and death.
Randy Campbell is a young boy with big dreams. Following in the footsteps of his ancestors, Randy mounts his push bike and stares out across the ocean. Randy, just like his father, was born to be a stuntman; it's in his blood. Facing a sheer cliff face, Randy snubs his cigarette on the fuse of a rocket which has been strapped to the back of his bike; he is about to jump fifteen miles across the Cook Strait. Hurtling toward the cliff face, his bike mounts a strategically positioned ramp, before wobbling and falling to the ground.
Randy may have failed, but his spirits are soon raised with the news that Dick Johansonson, a big name in New Zealand daredevil stunts, is coming to town. Living with his overprotective uncle and horrifically scarred aunty (the result of a stunt which claimed the life of his father), Randy decides to ignore his uncle's wishes and sneak out of his bedroom window to attend the performance. Then, moments before Dick's performance, he is offered an opportunity to take part in the stunt. However, when the stunt goes horribly wrong, Randy is injured and his aunt and uncle (who arrive moments before) are tragically (comically) killed.
Due to his injuries, Randy is offered the opportunity to join Dick's team. We rejoin Randy several years later as he desperately pleads with Dick to give him a shot at performing a stunt. After several refusals, Randy takes matters into his own hands and finally proves himself a talented performer.
But, as Randy enjoys his newfound success, Dick becomes increasingly hostile. Fuelled by jealousy, Dick does everything in his power to put an end to Randy's career and reclaim his dwindling fame as New Zealand's most talented daredevil. A tale of rivalry, resulting in excessive bloodshed, The Devil Dared Me To charts the rags to riches tale of Dick Johansonson and Randy Campbell's lifelong quest to prove himself a talented stuntman and, eventually, jump New Zealand's Cook Strait…
The Devil Dared Me To seeks to do for daredevils what This Is Spinal Tap did for the music industry. Both a lampoon and a love letter to the industry, it seeks to depict both the appeal and absurdity of the stunt world. But, unfortunately, it fails in its primary aim. With a heavy reliance on physical comedy, crude language and moronic characters, it can only stand as a lampoon of the industry. There are many dismembered bodies, numerous burning cars and an abundance of narcissistic personalities, but all of this merely acts to ridicule the industry it depicts. There is nothing appealing about this world, let alone anything to love.
What the film does not lack is gore. And it is because of this excessive gore - and only because of this - that the film qualifies as a 'comedy'. It's not surprising that the director assumed such extravagant bloodshed would go down well with audiences. After all, the success of Jackass rests on our morbid fascination with pain and injury. However, dangerous stunts suddenly become less appealing when depicted in a fictitious film. Whilst the actors may have performed many of their own stunts, a choreographed film does not offer the possibility of any serious injury and, therefore, fails where the likes of Jackass succeed.
Another of the film's most blatant and crippling flaws is its generic characters; the likes of which are all too often seen in such comedies. Unlike its American counterparts, such as Blades Of Glory (which is a terrible film in its own respect), The Devil Dared Me To makes no attempt to develop its characters. Whilst The Devil Dared Me To and Blades Of Glory both fail to produce witty dialogue or feature remotely original scripts, it is to the latter's credit that it seems to pay at least some degree of attention to its characters.
The film may have offered a few laughs if only Chris Stapp's character, Dick, were given a little more thought. But his role as the jealous performer and arch-rival of the film's protagonist is one that has been seen time and time again. Frequently drunk and unashamedly self-centred, Dick most certainly lives up to his name. However, he lives up to that name in the most banal of ways. Whether it be strapping a bomb to Randy's car or slurring profanities at spectators, his character is weak and painfully predictable.
Whilst the film fails to offer anything new, it does do something: it rakes up an overused tale of comic rivalry and not only reminds us of all the failed attempts that came before it, but takes the genre to an all-time low. The Devil Dared Me To struggles to evoke even the occasional chuckle; unless, of course, you consider several grown men smashing vodka bottles over one another’s heads 'comedy'. Its intentions may be noble but, even with its numerous bloody corpses and phrases such as “jizz lobber,” it is, unfortunately, a resounding failure. ME
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