Hooper (film)
| Hooper | |
|---|---|
Film poster
|
|
| Directed by | Hal Needham |
| Produced by | Hank Moonjean |
| Written by |
Thomas Rickman Bill Kerby Story by: Walt Green Walter S. Herndon |
| Starring |
Burt Reynolds Jan-Michael Vincent Sally Field Brian Keith Robert Klein James Best |
| Music by | Bill Justis |
| Cinematography | Bobby Byrne |
| Edited by | Donn Cambern |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
|
Release date
|
July 28, 1978 |
|
Running time
|
99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6 million |
| Box office | $78 million |
Hooper is a 1978 American action comedy film directed by Hal Needham and stars Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jan-Michael Vincent, Brian Keith, Robert Klein, James Best and Adam West. The film serves as a tribute to stuntmen and stuntwomen in what was at one time an underrecognized profession.
Sonny Hooper (Burt Reynolds), known in the film as "The Greatest Stuntman Alive", is the stunt coordinator on an action film, The Spy Who Laughed at Danger, directed by Roger Deal (Robert Klein). Hooper's antics and wisecracks are a trial for the egotistical director and his officious but cowardly assistant, Tony (Alfie Wise). Years of physical abuse on and off the job are fast catching up with Hooper; the numerous stunts (referred to in the movie business as "gags") and his use of alcohol and painkillers are beginning to take their toll. Sonny lives with his girlfriend Gwen Doyle (Sally Field) whose father Jocko (Brian Keith) is a retired stuntman.
Hooper is dragooned by a friend into performing at a charity show, where he meets Delmore "Ski" Shidski (Jan-Michael Vincent), a newcomer who makes his entrance with a spectacular stunt. Sonny and Ski become friends after a barroom brawl with a pack of rowdy policemen. He invites Ski to work with him on the film. They begin a friendly rivalry in which the spectacle and danger of their stunts escalates. After a freefall from a record 224 feet, Sonny becomes more aware of his own mortality. He secretly consults with his doctor, who warns Sonny that one more bad fall could render him quadriplegic.
Unhappy with the writer's ending to the film, Roger decides to add a climactic earthquake as the finale, complete with explosions, fires and numerous car crashes. Sonny and Ski would race through the carnage to a nearby gorge, where the bridge explodes before they can cross it. Roger's concept has the duo rappelling down one side of the gorge and up the other to safety, but Ski proposes they jump a car over the gorge. When someone points out that no car could jump the 335 foot gap, Hooper suggests that a rocket-powered car could make it.
...
Wikipedia