Stuntmen spend their lives planning accidents. This demands careful planning, preparation, and a little bit of luck. Stuntment must walk the line between gutsy and idiot (think Jackass: The Movie). Movie producers don't want loose cannons, but they do want tough technicians. And the wilder the stunts (called "gags" on the set), the more the pay and the greater the reputation.
One stuntment speaks of breaking into the business: "The wilder it [the gag] was, the more points you got from the guys hiring you. So the next time a real nasty thing came up, they'd give you a chance. They were also testing you: are you going to be a whiner or are you going to touch up and do the job? And if you hit the ground wrong and get smacked really good, are you going to get up and do it again?" (139). He then speaks of friends who have continued to work with broken legs, separated shoulders, and fractured backs.
Stuntmen seek to engineer safe gags by reducing risks - but "reducing risk does not necessarily mean eliminating pain" (191).
The book concludes at the Taurus World Stunt Awards, where the author notices that just about every walks with a limp. I'll never look at another "gag" the same way again. By the way: As I was reading I couldn't help but notice the overlap with faithful Christian ministry, especially in regard to constantly getting up when one is down, and how all good leaders walk with a limp.
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