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The Full Burn: On the Set, at the Bar, Behind the Wheel, and Over the Edge with Hollywood Stuntmen
A thrillingly written look inside the crash-bang world of the professional stuntman—the first reported book to venture into this wild corner of the movie business.
In The Full Burn , bestselling author and acclaimed journalist Kevin Conley takes readers inside one of the most fascinating and dangerous jobs in the world. With bravura storytelling and full access to many of the legends of the field (including Uma Thurman’s double for Kill Bill and the genius behind the Jason Bourne movies, among many others), Conley gives a passenger’s-seat view of the stuntman’s the history, the culture, and the tricks of the trade, showing how—and why—stuntmen do what they do.
What’s the greatest stunt ever performed? Why is the divorce rate among stuntmen so high? What’s it like to go to work not knowing whether you’ll come back? What’s it like for your wife? What’s the scariest trick a stuntman does? Conley delivers the answers in the form of vivid tales from his subjects’ lives—and, in trying to answer the last question, one from his own, when he subjects himself to the rite of passage known as the “full burn.” Funny, gripping, and packed with amazing stories, this is an irresistible book for anyone who loves the movies.
In The Full Burn , bestselling author and acclaimed journalist Kevin Conley takes readers inside one of the most fascinating and dangerous jobs in the world. With bravura storytelling and full access to many of the legends of the field (including Uma Thurman’s double for Kill Bill and the genius behind the Jason Bourne movies, among many others), Conley gives a passenger’s-seat view of the stuntman’s the history, the culture, and the tricks of the trade, showing how—and why—stuntmen do what they do.
What’s the greatest stunt ever performed? Why is the divorce rate among stuntmen so high? What’s it like to go to work not knowing whether you’ll come back? What’s it like for your wife? What’s the scariest trick a stuntman does? Conley delivers the answers in the form of vivid tales from his subjects’ lives—and, in trying to answer the last question, one from his own, when he subjects himself to the rite of passage known as the “full burn.” Funny, gripping, and packed with amazing stories, this is an irresistible book for anyone who loves the movies.
- GenresNonfiction
224 pages, Hardcover
First published June 24, 2008
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37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 6, 2023
Informative look at the stunt industry and it’s history. As someone who hosts a podcast on martial arts movies I really need to know more about this world and this book didn’t let me down. My only knock on it was that at times or felt like the author was slightly too impressed with himself. Could have used a little less of that.
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March 27, 2011 Bryson Singleton
English 2 B2
“The Full Burn” by Kevin Conley Book Review
Are you an action packed person or do you like action packed books? Well the Full Burn by, Kevin Conley is just that. It digs deep in the life of stunt men and women. So if you are that person then I would recommend this book is for you because not only do you see what they do but the book also teaches you about the life.
Now I recommend this book for people who like action because not only do you want to see action, you also want to hear about it. This book tells you about the stunts or ‘gigs’ a lot of big stunt men and women do. For example, it might tell you about a car chase scene in a movie and it may say how the stunt is done and how precise you must be. So yes, you might just want to know how they do these stunts and if so then you might want to read this book.
Another reason you may want to read this book is to learn about these stuntmen’s lives. This book takes you in the life of these people and tells you how they got in the business or why they got in this business. For example, its says that most people come from a family that’s in the business or for some they come from a family of ‘motor heads’. So you should read this book if you want to learn about the life or someday become part of it yourself.
Now to tell you the truth, this book may be boring for some people. Some people think that stunt men only do crazy stunts like back flips and stuff like that, in fact that’s not true at all. People have stunt doubles to do simple things like jumping on a car or playing a role in a bar fight. Therefore this book tells you about these stunts and also how dangerous some stunts can be and that may bore some people.
So ask yourself, are you an action packed person and do you like to read these types of books? So to wrap it up I’m going to say that this book could be good for someone who likes actions movies and even for someone who doesn’t. So if you don’t like action packed movies then you could read this book and see how much work people put in this job and how they also put their lives at risk. So after reading this book you might grow a little more respect for stunt men / women and might even start watching these type of movies.
English 2 B2
“The Full Burn” by Kevin Conley Book Review
Are you an action packed person or do you like action packed books? Well the Full Burn by, Kevin Conley is just that. It digs deep in the life of stunt men and women. So if you are that person then I would recommend this book is for you because not only do you see what they do but the book also teaches you about the life.
Now I recommend this book for people who like action because not only do you want to see action, you also want to hear about it. This book tells you about the stunts or ‘gigs’ a lot of big stunt men and women do. For example, it might tell you about a car chase scene in a movie and it may say how the stunt is done and how precise you must be. So yes, you might just want to know how they do these stunts and if so then you might want to read this book.
Another reason you may want to read this book is to learn about these stuntmen’s lives. This book takes you in the life of these people and tells you how they got in the business or why they got in this business. For example, its says that most people come from a family that’s in the business or for some they come from a family of ‘motor heads’. So you should read this book if you want to learn about the life or someday become part of it yourself.
Now to tell you the truth, this book may be boring for some people. Some people think that stunt men only do crazy stunts like back flips and stuff like that, in fact that’s not true at all. People have stunt doubles to do simple things like jumping on a car or playing a role in a bar fight. Therefore this book tells you about these stunts and also how dangerous some stunts can be and that may bore some people.
So ask yourself, are you an action packed person and do you like to read these types of books? So to wrap it up I’m going to say that this book could be good for someone who likes actions movies and even for someone who doesn’t. So if you don’t like action packed movies then you could read this book and see how much work people put in this job and how they also put their lives at risk. So after reading this book you might grow a little more respect for stunt men / women and might even start watching these type of movies.
June 12, 2013
Wow, what a nice surprise. I checked this book out waiting for my library requests to come in, just to have something to read on the plane. A great book for numerous reasons. Stunt people are interesting; the logistics and planning of stunts is interesting; the inside scoop on how a movie set works is interesting; and the author is a great writer. Now I have about 10 movies to check out from the library to see how the stunts described in the book played out on film.
This book is like a series of essays so it is easy to read, but they are all strong. I especially enjoyed the chapter on the the stuntwomen as well as the 'world's craziest stuntman' chapter.
This book is like a series of essays so it is easy to read, but they are all strong. I especially enjoyed the chapter on the the stuntwomen as well as the 'world's craziest stuntman' chapter.
February 24, 2009
I heard the author interviewed on NPR and thought that he/the book sounded really interesting. The first few chapters were pretty good, but the book just didn't seem to go anywhere. There were way too many random details about the lives of various stuntmen and not enough info on how stuff actually happens. I got bored with this one...
September 8, 2016
Lack of narrative structure made this book pretty boring – and it's hard to make a book boring when it it is about stunt people. Don't get me wrong, the anecdotes of the amazing feats that the stunt people pulled off were fascinating. But rather than telling a story, this book just made me feel like I was at a bar in the middle of a bunch of drunk dudes bragging about their accomplishments.
January 8, 2009
Thrilling, indeed! It made me want to watch a few of these movies which the featured stuntmen worked on. Highlights of the book were the parts on the stuntwomen, the chapter on how to drift a vehicle, and setting the author on fire! Fun read.
February 27, 2009
I was naturally curious about the day-to-day reality of a career stuntman, and how the job has changed over time. This book has some of that, but left me wanting more. There's lots of filler, and too much time spent profiling individual stuntmen at the expense of other things.
October 7, 2013
One of my absolute favorite nonfiction reads. As someone who wanted to get a behind-the-scenes look at the stuntmen and stuntwomen of the movie industry, it was an excellent read. Kevin Conley's witty, snappy, unapologetic and ocassionally sarcastic writing style makes it an absolute joy to read.
June 2, 2009
Not a narrative, but chock-a-block with fascinating stories. This subject is completely fascinating. And the guy writing it inserted himself in a totally low-key, amiable way.
June 14, 2009
Okay read, but the chapter on female stuntwoman Zoe Bell was worth full read.
January 23, 2010
it's fun to read about the various "gags" and how they're done, but mainly it's about the stunt people who do them and how they got into the business.
April 25, 2010
A good look at stuntmen, who they are and why they do what they do.
July 27, 2011
great behind the scenes about movie stuntmen & women.
May 4, 2014
An entertaining and informative look at the stunt industry, with some highly interesting anecdotes from the personal lives of stuntmen and women.
November 24, 2015
Entertaining read about the men and woman who double for the A-listers. A good companion piece with the late Hal Needham's bio "Stuntman!"
January 18, 2016
WOW, very interesting behind the scene stories of the stuntmen and women.
July 7, 2008
Kevin Conley is the best!!! I can't put this one down!!!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews