Double Dare (4½ Stars)

This is a documentary, not a film. I always have difficulty rating documentaries. Maybe the problem is that I don't know what to expect. Do I want to be told something new? Do I want my already present knowledge of someone or something to be confirmed? Or contradicted? Do I want to be amused by anecdotes? I think 4½ stars is a fair rating for this documentary, but I could just as well have given it any rating between 3 and 5 stars.

The documentary is about two stuntwomen, Jeannie Epper and Zoe Bell. I already had some knowledge of Zoe, but Jeannie's name was new to me. They are presented as examples of two generations of stuntwomen. Jeannie was the stunt double for Lynda Carter in "Wonder Woman", whereas Zoe was the stunt double for Lucy Lawless in "Xena Warrior Princess". This is presumably the reason why the two are shown side by side.

The documentary begins shortly after the final episode of "Xena". Zoe is unemployed, and she feels that she can only find more work if she leaves New Zealand and goes to America. It's moving to see her in tears when she's turned down after an audition to be Vicki Pratt's stunt double in a new television series, not named in the documentary, but presumably "Mutant X". Jeannie already lives in Hollywood, but she's also struggling to find work due to her age. At 59 it's difficult to find a job, although she has the advantage that Steven Spielberg admires her and is still quick to hire her for his films.

Zoe travels to America to visit an awards ceremony for stuntmen. While there she stays in Jeannie's house. On a free day stuntmen meet to make high falls for fun. No comment! After her jumps she's approached by a talent scout who tells her that Quentin Tarantino is looking for a stunt double for Uma Thurman for an upcoming film, "Kill Bill". She auditions and is immediately accepted. It was a lucky break that she was in America at the time of casting for all involved. Quentin says that he had been auditioning women for days without finding anyone suitable and was "shitting bricks". When he heard that Lucy Lawless's stunt double was in Hollywood he was excited because "Anyone who can double Lucy Lawless can double Uma Thurman". He seemed to have made his mind up already, and Zoe's audition was just a formality.

It's relatively recent that women have been able to work as stuntwomen. Until the 1960's, if a woman needed a stunt double a skinny man put on a wig. In part, this still happens today. While watching the third season of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" I noticed that in some fight scenes Buffy was really a small man with a scarred face. This was shoddy filming. A stunt double should never be seen. After a few episodes I could easily tell them apart, even without seeing the face, because the wig worn by the stunt double was less glossy than Sarah Michelle Gellar's hair.

But I'm getting off the subject. In the 1970's the first women worked as stuntwomen. A few at first, but the numbers steadily increased. Jeannie Epper, who came from a family of stuntmen, was one of the first.

The DVD extras are just as interesting as the documentary itself, and I strongly recommend that you watch all of them. The interviews with Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarantino give a lot of insight into the profession of the stuntwoman and action films in general. Quentin is a big fan of "Xena". He says that he's certain that if "Xena" is watched 20 years from now it will be just as fresh and original as it is today. I agree. Listen to the interview yourself to hear his other thoughts on the series.