Steel Arena

The film is "stunningly plotless" (© Rod Lott) as it tells the story of a group of stunt drivers who perform as themselves as "Circus of Death" in thrill shows. That's it. Man, what a different era. You know, simpler times where you could pay off your whiskey debt by taking some moonshine over county lines. Where dudes who look like '70s Don Lake with Powers Boothe's mustache from Tombstone (1993) could get chicks. Where you could make a 50/50 partnership with someone you just met in a bar brawl. Where a guy in his 60s earns his living under the moniker Mr. Atom by being blown up with dynamite. Where personal politics in stunt shows drive a performer over the edge when he loses the coveted "Dive Bomber" stunt to a greenhorn. Director Mark Lester tells some amazing stories in his 20-minute interview on the disc, including that he ran into the COD guys randomly and liked their story for a film. And he also says it is a time capsule of an era of Americana that has disappeared and that is totally true. The car stunts are insane, with lots of automobiles ending up looking like soda cans in your recycle bin. A great film to double feature with Death Riders (1976).