With his flashy, trademark red-white-and-blue jumpsuits (emblazoned with an unforgettable #1 on the right side of his chest) and armed with plenty of bravado to spare, daredevil Evel Knievel became an international icon. Between 1965-1980, Knievel attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. Recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, the documentary I Am Evel Knievel traces his rise from a small town rebel in Butte, Montana to a legend.
Directed by Derik Murray and David Ray, the duo behind the recently released, I Am Steve McQueen, this documentary follows a similar pattern. There are lots of talking head interviews with family, friends, and celebrity admirers, as well as copious footage of his various stunts accompanied by a cool soundtrack. The big plus here is the fact that Knievel, a natural showman, surrounded himself with all sorts of colorful characters, and the make excellent interview subjects.
Robert Craig “Evel” Knievel was raised in Butte, Montana by his grandparents. A mining town, it was a tough place where problems were solved with your fists. Knievel could stir it up as well as anyone, and often found himself on the wrong side of the law. In fact, Evel’s first wife Linda says the nickname “Evel” was given to him by one of the local lawman.
Knievel started doing jumps to drum up business for a Honda dealership he was working at, but quickly found the stunts was what made him excited to go to work every day. He assumed a small group of performers and they would do stunt shows around the country. Unfortunately, he wasn’t making any money. He decided to go it alone, making headlines by attempting to jump the fountains as Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas on December 31, 1967. With that, a legend was born.
Over the next seven years or so, Evel would become one of the most famous and admired people in the world. He elevated licensing to an art form and had his own line of bestselling toys. Though according to the documentary, even though he made millions, Knievel still spent money faster than he made it. He also had a reputation for treating people badly. He openly cheated on his first wife Linda, and beat a former tour manager with an aluminum baseball bat (for writing a decidedly PG-rated tell-all about the events leading up to the Snake River Canyon fiasco).
Personally, Evel Knievel wasn’t a very nice guy. Nonetheless, this documentary shows just how influential he was in what is referred to today as the Extreme Sports industry. Wild, crazy, and unapologetic, Evel Knievel paved the way for generations of daredevils, and extreme athletes.
Presented in the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, this 1080p transfer makes the new interviews look pristine, but not much has been done to clean up footage of the old interview footage with Evel or the original footage of the jumps at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, London’s Wembley Stadium and that insane Snake River Canyon flight in 1974. The old footage looks very good though.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track serves the film well, providing clean and clear dialogue. Effects are strong with some surround activity.
English SDH subtitles are included.
The extras are a bit slim: a 5-minute look a Lathan McKay’s collection of Evel Knievel memorabilia and the 15-minute “Inspired by Evel” in which several daredevils discuss how Evel Knievel influenced their careers.
