Lack of good storyline.

Dreadfully Boring

A Disappointing Continuation

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Ill-advised starring vehicle for the king of motorcycle jumping, Evel Knievel. It's pretty campy, and can occasionally be amusing. But overall it's quite the bore. Evel Knievel is hired to do a jump in Mexico, and his promoter, Leslie Nielsen, plans on getting him killed so he can smuggle a boatload of cocaine into the US in Evel's coffin (which he assumes the border guards will be too respectful to ransack). There's almost no action until the last 20 minutes. At least the action at that point is decent (though apparently Evel was forced to use a stuntman to perform most of the riding). To classics fans, the film is probably more notable because it contains the penultimate performance by Gene Kelly (Red Buttons is also in it). His final performance was in Xanadu. Viva Knievel! is the only film Kelly appeared in which is even more lowly rated than Xanadu. Actually, much of the plot revolves around Kelly, as the son whom he sent off to be raised elsewhere is reunited with him. Kelly kind of ignores the boy because his wife died in childbirth, but Evel eventually sets him straight. There's also a romantic subplot involving a feminist photographer, Lauren Hutton, who is sent to photograph Evel's "last jump". Of course she ends up falling for the uber-masculine motorcyclist.

I recently bought a video tape of this film expecting it to be somewhat funny...it turned out to be one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. And that's saying alot since it was made as a dramatic vehicle for the one, the only, EVEL KNIEVEL.I can't believe all of the negative comments that have been posted for this film. Sure the acting is bad and the plot is subpar, but overall, this movie is destined for cult status! This 1 hour and 40 minute film turned into a three hour viewing experience for me since I was laughing so hard at everything, and I knew I was missing more great dialogue and acting...I'd have to stop the video, rewind it, and watch again...and I'd laugh just as hard the second time. Even now, while writing this review, I'm laughing to myself just thinking of certain scenes...especially the "drug speech."I won't spoil anything for those reading this...Just pop this baby in your VCR and "sit down and take a load off!"And who the hell did Frank Gifford have to sleep with to get his name mentioned so many times in this film?PUT THIS FILM ON DVD in WIDESCREEN!!

Evel Knievel is the world's leading motorcycle jumper. When he is asked to accompany his friend Jessie (Marjoe Gartner), the second best motorcycle jumper, on a tour of Mexico he accepts. However Millard, the tour's organiser (Leslie Nielsen) plans to use Knievel to smuggle drugs back over the Mexican border, using Knievel's fame to escape detection.This is very much a star vehicle of it's time - it screams 70's all the way through - from the clothes to the attitude, from the stars to the cheesy theme song it's all very dated. However we should allow this to put us off - although it is hard to see past the terrible flares and big collars. This is actually a reasonable plot - if a little far fetched - but the 70's definitely produced worse crime thrillers. This manages to be quite clever and have an exciting chase conclusion. That's not to say that it's brilliant - but for an Evel Knievel movie anything that is better than OK is good. There is a side plot involving Knievel's mechanic Will and his estranged son - but this doesn't really add any value to the plot.The main weakness of this is that it is a Knievel vehicle (pardon the pun). Several times the film slows down and loses the main plot so that Knievel can be kind to kids, or lecture about the dangers of drugs etc. If the part had been played by a "normal" actor then it wouldn't have stolen as much of the focus as Knievel did. That said - there are times that this doesn't seem like a star vehicle. Knievel overall is played as a kind man who is good to kids etc, but quite often during the film he is an unpleasant man - arrogant, rude, selfish and, in one throwaway remark, racist. It just surprised me that he would let himself be portrayed in that way - unless of course he is like that and didn't see it in the finished film. For the most part though this is a star film that shows him as a moral, kid loving, God-fearing American.The rest of the support is quite surprising, Gene Kelly plays Will quite well, but overdoes the emotions in his subplot. Leslie Nielsen is good as the bad guy, pre-spoof days, and plays it straight (read boring) and steady. Even Red Buttons pops up momentarily as Knievel's organiser. But most are sidelined as the story focuses on Knievel.Overall a good 1970's crime movie, but both Knievel and the other subplots slow the plot and take away from the film. For what it is - it isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Evel was a great showman, and was incredibly popular in the 1970's. For those who missed that era, or chose to forget it, at least Evel had the skill to back up the hype. There are a few stunt scenes that bear this out, including a great two-person tour around and through a small stadium on Evel's bike.But that's about it; the plot is pretty simple, and the criminals are as stereotyped as they come. Sit back, enjoy the stunts and flashback to the 70's for a while.