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Being Evel

Released Aug 21, 2015 1h 42m Documentary Biography List
98% Tomatometer 40 Reviews 82% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
Filmmaker Daniel Junge examines the life, career and legacy of Evel Knievel, the young man from Montana who stared death in the face to become a legendary daredevil.
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Being Evel

Being Evel

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Critics Consensus

Insightful and swiftly paced, Being Evel is an entertaining, well-crafted overview of an unforgettable character.

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Critics Reviews

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Nell Minow Movie Mom Knievel's legacy, for better and worse, is more clearly tied to marketing and celebrity than to courage or integrity. Rated: B+ Aug 27, 2015 Full Review Bilge Ebiri New York Magazine/Vulture There was a real darkness there - behind the American flags and the fringed jackets and the fireworks - and Being Evel, to its credit, isn't afraid to face it. Aug 22, 2015 Full Review Glenn Kenny RogerEbert.com It doesn't illuminate the guy's character beyond what's obvious. Nor does it bestow much depth upon Knievel. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 21, 2015 Full Review Michael J. Casey Michael J. Cinema Gravity won many of those battles, and death won the war, but the icon seems as relevant now as it was then. Rated: 3.5/5 Aug 24, 2021 Full Review Brent McKnight The Last Thing I See Evel Knievel is awesome. That's undeniable, so no matter what, a documentary about his life, like Being Evel, is going to be at least a decent watch. Rated: C+ Jul 5, 2020 Full Review Amie Simon Three Imaginary Girls Being Evel is the portrait of a man who built himself up into an American Hero by sheer ambition. Mar 2, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member An excellent documentary that tells the story of who Knievel really was. Because it doesn't wash over just the positives of his life, it really becomes a bit of an underdog story with a slightly happy ending of redemption. Definitely worth the watch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member An honest, sobering and at times inspiring biography on the life of roughneck Evel Knieval, the legend who rides recklessly at every turn. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/26/17 Full Review Audience Member Great Documentary! excellent job capturing the huge influence Evel had on today's Xtreme Sports. This doc also does an awesome job showing the very flawed person Evel became. If you don't care about Evel, it's still worth watching just for a slice of Americana in the 1970s. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member http://cinephilecrocodile.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/being-evel-dir-2015-during-introduction.html Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member Without Evel Knievel would we've been treated to such popular events as extreme sports, such shows as Jackass/The Dudeson's and would we've had superstars like Johnny Knoxville, The Crusty Demons and a range of other noteworthy names pushing the boundaries of what's expected from performers and athletes? It's an intriguing question and one that filmmaker Daniel Junge looks to answer in his by the books but insightful examination of Robert Craig Knievel's aka "Evel Knievel" rise and fall. Produced by Jackass lynchpins Johnny Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine, Being Evel is a clear love letter from the two gentleman and in particular Knoxville who was inspired by Knievel as a child so much so that he became the household name he is today. Knoxville spends time in front of the camera speaking about Knievel's impact on his life and the admiration he has for him shines through but Junge's trump card is the amount of Knievel acquaintances he manages to round up to talk intimately about the performer who pushed himself and pushed away those he loved with a prickly, womanising demeanour that eventually drove him off the edge. Being Evel shows a clear divide between the Evel the thousands upon thousands of crowd members saw and the one that operated behind closed doors and those who believe Evel to be a loveable American flag waver will be shocked by some of the man's behavioural tendencies from an explosive temper, unfaithfulness to his loved ones and desire to push himself no matter the physical or mental costs. Utilising the talking heads with ample archival footage, Junge collates everything into a clearly decipherable manner but the documentary never strays to far from its TV like roots and there are moments throughout the film where the interest levels will waver but there always bought back around again with Evel's next outlandish actions never too far away. In the age in which boundaries are being pushed daily through professional and more Youtube like ways, Evel Knievel's antics may now seem a little "so what" but there's little point in denying that his the granddaddy of the showmanship and conceptual ideas of the modern day extreme athletes and performers. Being Evel is a must watch for Knievel fans and an insightful (if overly workmanlike) event for us bystanders. 3 blinged up walking canes out of 5 www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review ian t Amazing story. The highs, the lows.The attitude. This film has it all. This man does not ask for you respect, he demands it. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Being Evel

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Cast & Crew

Back on Board: Greg Louganis 89% 88% Back on Board: Greg Louganis Mr Calzaghe 100% 75% Mr Calzaghe Dark Star: H.R. Giger's World 64% 62% Dark Star: H.R. Giger's World Mike Wallace Is Here 95% 86% Mike Wallace Is Here TRAILER for Mike Wallace Is Here Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story 90% 93% Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story TRAILER for Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Daniel Junge examines the life, career and legacy of Evel Knievel, the young man from Montana who stared death in the face to become a legendary daredevil.
Director
Daniel Junge
Producer
Johnny Knoxville, Mat Hoffman, Daniel Junge, Brendan Kiernan, Justin Moore-Lewy, Jeff Tremaine
Screenwriter
Daniel Junge, Davis Coombe
Distributor
Gravitas Ventures
Production Co
Dickhouse Productions, HeLo
Genre
Documentary, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 21, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 28, 2016
Runtime
1h 42m
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