12 great movies directed by former stunt people you can watch at home
With the release of Netflix’s Day Shift, the directorial debut of stunt coordinator J.J. Perry, we thought it would be a good idea to look at some other great movies directed by former stunt people. Perry is the latest in a long line of stunt people who have made the transition behind the camera. He’s worked his way up from stunt person to stunt coordinator to second unit director (often tasked with shooting the action in movies) and now, for the first time, just “director.” Even if you didn’t realize it, you’ve probably enjoyed his work. Perry did stunts on Blade, Iron Man and Django Unchained, and directed action in movies like Warrior, Spy, and F9: The Fast Saga. Most of the other names on this list have done their time in a similar fashion, and when they got their chance to direct, they made the most of it.
You might assume stunt people would have a natural eye for good action, and while that isn’t always true, these 12 films help make the case that more stunt people should be directors. This list doesn’t include stunt people who became performers and directors at the same time, so even though they are legends, there won’t be any Buster Keaton, Jackie Chan, or Sammo Hung films here. You will also notice there is a distinct lack of female directors on this. The sexism that has been inherent in the stunt industry over its existence is outside the scope of this list, but if you want to dig deeper, I highly recommend checking out the great documentary Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story, which is available to watch for free with ads on Tubi, Vudu, and Pluto TV. On to the list!
No list of stunt people turned directors would be complete without Hal Needham. Needham came up through television Westerns and spent much of
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