The Devil at Your Heels (1981) User Reviews

Brilliant. NOT a mockumentary, unbelievable as it may seem.

[pcholt · 9/10 · 17 May 2012]

Oh no, it's real alright. It reads like a classic mockumentary, but no, Ken is a real man and these are real attempts to make a real stunt.

The filming style is the classical 80s documentary format that was so well parodied in Spinal Tap, but this is the real thing.

Make popcorn. Watch the whole film - you can find it on you-tube if you make a cursory search. DO NOT FAST-FORWARD AT ANY POINT! The tension builds towards the end BRILLIANTLY as real-life strangeness takes over where scriptwriters dare not go. No writer of fiction could have written the ending of this film, only the laws of physics and aerodynamics combined with an extraordinary man like Ken Carter could create this work of art.

Warning: Read the wikipedia article on this film AFTER you see the whole movie.

You can watch it on you-tube.

A truly, well, unique sort of film

[barney19 · 9/10 · 27 March 2000]

Devil At Your Heels, or DAYH, is an amazing piece of work. Some argue it is fact, others fiction. I prefer to sit on the fence and simply marvel at the beauty that is the life of Ken Carter, the self-proclaimed world's best stuntman. He is good, if your definition of good is overweight, underprepared and gutless. In DAYH, Ken wants to jump a car from the USA to Canada. Why, only God knows. But he manages to get a ramp built and get his hands on a dodgy looking rocket car. All he has to do now is drive it up that ramp...which is the tricky part. A truly life-changing production, DAYH comes highly recommended. By me, anyway. And my mate Adam. He loves it too.

a great first time effort

[olimann · 8/10 · 18 February 2006]

this documentary really is an amazing find and gets better with repeated viewing. as well as being a fascinating insight into the world of the professional ( or in ken's case ALMOST pro) stuntman, it's also the absolute last word in big late 70's hair, facial fuzz and REALLY loud shirts. long after ken's ill-fated jump, the image that still remains with me and haunts my sleep is the one of him walking up the ramp looking resplendent in lemon yellow cardigan with a matching brown suede body shirt. this film is a genuine and authentic time capsule. watch and enjoy.

be careful though, that when you watch this too get the full 112 minute version. there are a few shorter versions of this film which are not nearly as interesting.

Totally unreal experience.

[BusbyNZ · 23 February 2002]

Maybe it is all a big hoax. If it is this is some of the best mockumentary making ever and If it isn't then Ken Carter's miserable struggle to get his rocket car to jump a mile is one of the most amazing tales I have ever seen.

Ken Himself, like pretty much his whole support crew is a misguided man, but his heart is in the right place and it seems God definitely ain't on his side.

This is a hard film to find but totally worthy of its cult reputation. As a comedy of errors it is unbeatable.

Most humorous documentary I have ever seen

[ubergossen · 10/10 · 17 September 2007]

This film is incredible. The hilarity comes from the fact that the viewer isn't laughing with the characters in the movie, but at them. Ken Carter is a comedic genius, without even realizing it. When thought about too much, this movie is incredibly sad, but in the midst of the movie one is caught up too much in the hilarity to be contemplating the pathetic stupidity of humanity. Not only is the movie humorous, but also highly suspenseful, more so than the majority of scripted movies that I have see. I would recommend this movie to anyone, even those who claim to not enjoy documentaries. This is a documentary that you won't have to struggle to keep awake for. Once again, the NFB makes a winner!

Incredible

[blair-greimann · 10/10 · 6 August 2015]

Whether a hoax or the truth, this movie is incredible. If it is a hoax, the story and filming is one of the best mockumentaries ever. If the story is true, it is Don Quixote in the flesh.

The film does drag at times, so you'll have to be in the right mood to let the story play out. I first watched this film about 25 years ago and now I am anxious to watch it again.

Not a Hoax!

[oldtractor · 22 October 2008]

This was definitely not a hoax. It was our reality back then; I live about 150 miles from where the Superjump was going to take place. It was in the news regularly during the period. We were given regular updates on the progress or obstacles of the attempt. The prevailing atmosphere at the time was one of awe at the bravado of Ken Carter for even considering such a feat. It was a very exciting period in my life. Evel Knievel was winding down a little, and Ken Carter was preparing to attempt a feat that we all considered nothing short of epic in scope, but ultimately suicidal. The drama of the scheme was riveting and spellbinding!

I got to see the ramp on my Grade 8 class trip in 1980. It was incredible to look up at that enormous ramp and think anyone would actually literally shoot themselves off of it in a rocket powered car and have any expectations whatsoever about surviving the aftermath.

It was such a tragic ending for Ken Carter, being killed in a much, much more minor jump in 1983, after having his dream of the Superjump stolen--yes: STOLEN--from him just a few years before, and never having got everything together for another attempt. This was a tragedy for all of us that eagerly followed the events of the Superjump back in those heady days of the late 70's and early 80's.