Take the thrill of insane stunts and the excitement of rock ’n’ roll, fuse them together and you get Stunt Rock! The madness starts when real-life Australian stuntman Grant Page (Mad Max) goes to L.A. and meets up with a theatrical rock band called Sorcery, and Page impresses the rockers so much with his daredevil antics that they hire him for their act. While his first stunt lands him in the hospital, the reckless Page defies his doctors’ orders, escaping out of the ward’s fifth-story window to get back to the band. Page soon finds himself the focus of the ladies, attracting both a newspaper reporter (Margaret Gerard, The Siege of Firebase Gloria) and a television star (Monique van de Ven, Turkish Delight), much to the annoyance of her manager (Richard Blackburn, Eating Raoul). Featuring non-stop action, a killer soundtrack and pedal-to-the-metal direction by Ozploitation king Brian Trenchard-Smith (The Man from Hong Kong, The Quest), Stunt Rock is an adrenaline-fueled cult classic that’s a death wish at 120 decibels!

For more in-depth thoughts on Stunt Rock, please see my colleague Andre Couture’s review from its original theatrical re-release here.

Also, be sure to check out Director Brian Trenchard-Smith’s appearance on Return Of The Living Geeks here.

For more thoughts on Stunt Rock, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/_kS59oZ32jE?t=604]

Video Quality

Stunt Rock debuts on Blu-Ray courtesy of Kino Classics with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1 that is derived from a brand new 4K restoration. Considering that this film mostly existed in dedicated cult film circles, it is incredible to have this in high definition. The presentation is sumptuous throughout with image stability and delineation being very strong. This film is composed of a lot of different footage captured on film sets like shots of Page falling off a cliff or hang-gliding across open expanses which this transfer captures in a really visceral way. The picture can run slightly soft in long shots, but this is likely due to the nature of how it was originally captured.

Colors are well saturated with the warm hues of California and Australia coming through in a grand way. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features such as stubble easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up well with no major instances of crush or banding apparent. This transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation that is often thick but with a refined look rather than a clumpy mess. Instances of print damage such as nicks and scratches have all been cleaned up immensely with overall clarity and detail looking excellent. There are still minor specks and blemishes that have made it through the restoration gauntlet, but this is by far the best the film has looked. This is a top-tier presentation for a film that did not seem likely to ever receive such consideration.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a stellar DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that serves this film really well. Thankfully, this track shows no discernible age related wear and tear such as hissing or popping. All of the sound effects and music appear to be faithful to the intent of the creative team. A key thing you will notice is the vibrancy and clarity of the soundtrack. The recurring performances from Sorcery especially permeate the room perfectly with their riffs. Even with the strength of this element, nothing ever overpowers the dialogue or other important information. Dialogue and background noises are represented in perfect harmony with all competing elements even with the mixture of different environments. This disc maintains an impeccable sense of fidelity that is appreciated when music is so central to the experience. There are also optional English (SDH) subtitles included for the feature film. Kino Classic has delivered with this audio track.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Brian Trenchard-Smith with Actors Grant Page and Margaret Trenchard-Smith provides a very fun and informative commentary track in which they discuss the making of this insane film, the shots they “stole” due to some enterprising filmmaking, executing the stunts, background information on the various performers and behind-the-scenes people (including pseudonyms!), working with pyrotechnics and more.

The Ultimate Rush – Conversation with Brian and Margaret Trenchard-Smith: A terrific 80-minute virtual interview which covers almost anything you might want to know about the development and creation of this film. This piece is worth the price of admission.

Not Quite Hollywood Interview with Brian Trenchard-Smith: A 14-minute interview selection from Not Quite Hollywood with Brian Trenchard-Smith in which he discusses his relationship with Grant Page, memories of shooting dangerous stunts, working in the world of rock ’n’ roll, the revival of Stunt Rock and more.

Not Quite Hollywood Interview with Lead Actor/Stuntman Grant Page: A three-minute interview selection from Not Quite Hollywood with Actor Grant Page in which he discusses Stunt Rock, the music in the film, working with Monique van de Ven and more.

2009 Interview: A 69-minute collection of interviews with Brian Trenchard-Smith, Sorcery Lead Guitarist Smokey Huff and Producer Marty Fink. Throughout these interviews, the creatives get to discuss their careers and their experiences making Stunt Rock.

Select Soundtrack Songs (Stereo): An option to listen to select tracks including Sacrifice (4:41), Wizard’s Council (4:49), Stuntrocker (3:18) and Woman (3:12).

Trailers: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided for Stunt Rock.

Final Thoughts

Stunt Rock is an intriguing portrait of the realities of being a stuntman. While director Brian Trenchard-Smith agrees with the assessment that the film plays like an extended trailer for the people who risk their lives for our entertainment, the film does an excellent job of humanizing a figure many take for granted. The realities of the plot are not too ambitious, but the rock ‘n’ roll world that is created on screen is a mood that you don’t mind spending an hour-and-a-half with. Kino Classics has helped rescue this one from obscurity with a new Blu-Ray with a terrific A/V presentation and a really expansive selection of special features. If you are a fan of the ozploitation genre or simply want to delve into the life of a stuntman, do not pass this one up. Recommended

Stunt Rock will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on June 7, 2022.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

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