First off I believe this precedes the movie "Stuntman" which has garnered a lot of cult appeal due to its exploration of the same themes. But with a distinctly grittier, more low-budget and ergo more authentic telling of the tale, H'wood Man turns out to be the superior effort. There are so many wonderful little facets to this movie: An unfortunately turgid, melodramatic theme song which is spliced into the last act at completely gratuitous and inappropriate moments; Mary Woronov as a leading lady (looking rather lissome and not at all Patti Smith'ed out); for villains, a cadre of losers with wonderful parallels to the kidnap-caper misfits in "The Candy Snatchers" -- particular kudos for the designated Tiffany Bolling-psychotic blonde in this grouping of trash ne'er-do-wells and score settlers; the sarcastic one-offs heard from various real-life crew stalwarts playing someone in an alternate universe just like themselves; topped off with a.stylized 70s downer ending a la Bonnie and Clyde. I could go on. Why this film is not considered an exploitation diamond in the rough i do not know, but for anyone with an appreciation for William Smith's acting career as a heavy this is an excellent watch.
Review of Hollywood Man
