Danger on the Silver Screen: 50 Films Celebrating Cinema's Greatest Stunts

by Scott McGee

Turner Classic Movies presents a heart-racing look into the world of stunt work featuring films that capture the exhilaration of a car chase, the comedy of a well timed prat fall, or the adrenaline rush from a fight scene complete with reviews, behind-the-scenes stories, and hundreds of photographs.

Buckle in and join TCM on a action-packed journey through the history of cinema stunt work in  Danger on the Silver Screen.  This action-packed guide profiles 50 foundational films with insightful commentary on the history, importance, and evolution of an often overlooked element of stunt work. With insightful commentary and additional recommendations to expand your repertoire based on your favorites, Danger on the Silver Screen is a one-of-a-kind guide, perfect for film lovers to learn more about or just brush up on their knowledge of stunt work and includes films such as  Ben-Hur  (1925 & 1959),  The Great K&A Train Robbery  (1926), Steamboat Bill Jr.  (1928),  The Thing from Another World  (1951), Bullitt  (1968), Live and Let Die  (1973), The Blues Brothers (1980),  Romancing the Stone (1984),  The Matrix (1999), The Bourne Supremacy (2004),  John Wick (2014),  Impossible—Rogue Nation (2015),  Atomic Blonde  (2017), and many more.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

Published April 5, 2022

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

"In order to be a stuntman, you kinda gotta be one brick short of a load." -- legendary stuntman-turned-director Hal Needham, excerpted from a 1978 interview on the set of Hooper

As promised in the succinct title, Danger on the Silver Screen - one of the most recent arrivals in Turner Classic Movies network's ever-expanding catalogue of film books - casually traces notable moments from nearly 100 years of movie stunt work, chronologically starting with Way Down East in 1920 up to Baby Driver in 2017. The text adheres to mainly Hollywood .a.k.a. American output - a number of latter-day 007 flicks (like the indelible parkour / 'free running' opening of Casino Royale), two of the Mad Max series, and Jackie Chan's Rumble in the Bronx are the notable international exceptions - and provides names and/or gives credit to the legion of stunt personnel who either bravely or fool-heartedly (it all depends on the point of view of the reader) put their physical well-being on the line to anonymously make their mark on a scene. For film fans this book more often than not hits the mark - expected sections like the breakneck chariot race in Ben-Hur, the 'real speed' car chases in Bullitt and The French Connection (among many moments of vehicular mayhem), and the general derring-do in the sturdy Indiana Jones series stand alongside other less-remembered flicks such as Vanishing Point, Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry and Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (a favorite of mine from childhood). Do you love action-oriented movies? Or rather, do you love those exciting moments where you hold your breath, grip the seat's armrest, and/or shake your head in quiet amazement at the decidedly non-CGI moment you just witnessed on the screen? Then by all means strap on the seatbelt and crash helmet to have a good time perusing this expeditious book.

[Rachel E. Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lover of action films and stuntwork, this book was great. I would have loved even more detail, honestly, but it did a great job cover movies and stunts of all kinds.

[Chuck Neumann · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Danger on the Silver Screen" is a look at stunts in fifty films, from silent films to today. On each film selected he lists the stunt team involved in the film, giving the reader some real heroes of films that seldom received credit. On the selected films the author goes into details on some of the great stunts performed and how they were accomplished. The rare stunts that backfire are covered too. Special effects films, such as Star Wars and Superman are not discussed, CGI and camera effects do not always involve great stunts, however some effects films ("Matrix", "Mission Impossible") are covered. I really enjoyed the book, found it very educational and interesting. I do feel it would have been better if the author covered fewer films and went into more detail on the films he did cover. For me, he covered too many recent films I never heard of. Only one film from the 1930's is covered and only one from the 1940's. The films he does include are some of my favorites, such as "Safety Last", "Robin Hood", "Stagecoach", "How the West Was Won", "Mad Mad World", "Indiana Jones" and many others. This book is a great resource for film fans, I highly recommend it.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

TCM'er Scott McGee's "Danger on the Silver Screen" about movie stuntwork is an unexpected gem. Disclaimer: I'm not fascinated with stuntwork. I recognize its value in movies and I'm glad there are people who do it well. But plotline, dialogue, directing, etc. matter more to me.
Nonetheless, I thought it would be good.
It wasn't.
It was GREAT! Very well-researched and very well-written (and I'm a book publisher). A truly great book!
As an aside the cover undersells how good a book this really is. Exceptional research, and the book reads like a continuing story through the generations. A continuing story, well told, that is. Not the easiest thing to do.

[John Schorg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect starting point for people who want to look back on some of the great action movies of all time. The emphasis is on stuff that's actually happening, rather than computer generated. While I might have some grumbles about movies that didn't get the full treatment here -- The Driver and The General come to mind -- I can't complain about what's here. A good reference guide for the uninitiated.

[CA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This more of a celebration on movie stunts than an examination. It spotlights successful stunts, but quietly sidesteps failures (it mentions the infamous Twilight Zone: The Movie tragedy twice without adding that two child actors were killed, for instance). But it’s a good overview and found myself adding unwatched films to my list; I definitely learned a thing or two that will lead me to other books on the subject.

[Bryce Wilson]

So... If you were writing a book about stuntwork and calling it Danger On The Silver Screen...

...Would you have your *top* pull quote come from noted child murderer and safe set haver John Landis? Asking for a friend.

[Eric Bauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's great to see stunt people finally getting some coverage for what they do to make movies more exciting. I just wish the author could have written about more movies.