Being Evel

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.

It doesn't illuminate the guy's character beyond what's obvious. Nor does it bestow much depth upon Knievel.

"Being Evel" treads a fine line, making it clear that its subject was a heroic symbol of his times and a clear sports innovator while also acknowledging - and there's no getting around this - that the guy was a huge jerk.

A savvy documentary that gives the granddaddy of extreme sports his due while gauging the national climate that welcomed his shrewdly timed arrival.

Even if Daniel Junge's documentary falls a bit short of its goal, it deserves points for trying.

"Being Evel" largely nails his story.

Junge assembled some spectacularly dramatic and telling footage that evokes an era that is no so long ago, but feels so very far away.

Directed by Daniel Junge and produced by stunt star and actor Johnny Knoxville, who also acts as a narrator and host (also a producer) this isn't just a documentary, it is a tribute, even though it doesn't shy away from showing Evel's dark side.

An entertaining film that's both a revealing profile of the man and a thought-provoking reflection on his broader cultural significance.

This is very much a warts and all portrait, but in the process it brings us much closer to its subject, feeds a depth of appreciation many fans of those stunt shows will not have felt before.

Cultural identifiers don't come any bigger, meaner, or influential than Evel (nee Robert Craig) Knievel.

Oscar-winning director Daniel Junge chronicles the man's life and lasting influence through a plethora of hair-raising news footage and the memories of those who knew him, hated him, and still revere him.