Despite unbelievable performances as real-life men in Canadian movies like 2023’s “BlackBerry” and a fictionalized version of himself in “This Is the End,” actor Jay Baruchel has seemingly gone under the radar when it comes to movie stardom. Early comedic successes in Judd Apatow movies like “Knocked Up” suggested Baruchel’s star was on the rise, but in recent years the performer has stuck to indie films that showcase his acting chops. Now he reteams with “Goon” writer-director Michael Dowse to elevate a different side of his Canadian roots: playing daredevil Ken Carter in “The Stunt Driver.”
With a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival Friday ahead of its wider theatrical release later this month, “The Stunt Driver” is a hilarious, true-to-life story about heroics and self-importance in the face of lifelong goals. Baruchel stars as stuntman Ken Carter, known throughout the 1970s for his outrageous car stunts and dubbed “The Mad Canadian” by the press at the time. Growing up in the shadow of his contemporary Evel Knievel (Ben Foster), Carter attempts a years-long pursuit of launching a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental across the St. Lawrence River.
But driving at speeds up to 280 mph and flying off a ramp that would take him from the Canadian side of the river to the American side may be the one jump that ends Ken’s life. His long-suffering wife Gloria (Laurence Leboeuf) believes that Ken can accomplish anything he puts his crossed eyes to, though after many years of car troubles and lost nerves, Gloria’s hopes for Ken’s glory at the St. Lawrence River wane. Even Evel Knievel himself has doubts about the success of Ken’s jump.
Yet, this is Ken Carter’s dream, and at the end of the day, Ken is nothing if he isn’t a dreamer.
Ambition and heart are at the center of “The Stunt Driver,” a tour-de-force showcase for what Baruchel brings to the screen. Insecurities and chaotic energy are perfectly captured in Baruchel’s performance as an idealist who simply wants to be remembered for the stunts he pulls off. Baruchel has officially graduated as an actor with this performance, putting his early days in screwball comedies to rest with an unbelievably triumphant and charismatic artistic expression.
But Baruchel would be lost without the direction of his frequent collaborator, Dowse. The filmmaker uses his camera to highlight Ken Carter’s plights like a documentary mixed with a laser-focused appeal. Raw and bitter at times, Dowse blends humor with jaw-dropping action to lift the film into a new stratosphere. The result is a turbo-thrust cinematic display from beginning to end.
“The Stunt Driver” is ultimately more than a movie about a man trying to pull off an impossible jump. Anyone could see what’s coming, even if they aren’t aware of Ken Carter’s story. The film evolves into a celebration of the reckless, stubborn optimism that makes dreamers like Ken impossible to ignore.
Baruchel gives Carter a beating heart beneath all the bravado, while Dowse turns his seemingly absurd ambition into something genuinely thrilling and moving. The film barrels toward its inevitable finale with the same determination as its protagonist, never losing sight of the person behind the spectacle. As such, “The Stunt Driver” transforms an overlooked chapter of Canadian daredevil history into an exhilarating reminder that sometimes the dream itself is the real stunt.