Blu-ray reviews: I Am Evel Knievel and The Gunman

Aging and legendary heroes highlight Blu-ray home entertainment releases this week.

I Am Evel Knievel (Virgil Films, Not Rated, $19.99) — A man’s man and arguably one of extreme sports forefathers got his own fantastic documentary last year that aired on Spike TV.

Home theater owners can now appreciate the fearless exploits of Evel Knievel, the famed daredevil motorcyclist, in a 90-minute effort from director Derek Murray featuring gushing tributes and many thrills and spills.

Between the accolades of his dangerous heroics by celebrities such as Matthew McConaughey, Kid Rock, Michelle Rodriguez, Food Network stalwart Guy Fieri (really?), stuntman Gary Davis, daredevil Spanky Spangler and comedian Bob Einstein (once a faux, bumbling daredevil named Super Dave Osborne), viewers learn about his life growing up in in Butte, Montana, and his reckless desire to become famous.

The path to riches found him jumping from ramp to ramp across ever-widening chasms filled with cars, buses and even snakes while using a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that was never built for that type of abuse.

By the way, his body was not thrilled with the abuse either, having sustained over 400 bone fractures over the course of his career.

Friends, business associates and family interviews also explore the best and worst of the man, with his first wife Linda pulling no punches but sons Robbie and Kelly remaining very proud of their father’s accomplishments.

The high-definition digital transfer fills television screens but can’t do much to clean up the old interview footage with Evel or the original footage of the jumps including famous landings at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and London’s Wembley Stadium and that insane Snake River Canyon flight in 1974.

Extras basically continue the themes and style of the documentary with a 5-minute look a Lathan McKay’s collection of Evel Knievel memorabilia and the 15-minute “Inspired By Evel.”

What’s odd about the “Inspired” featurette is it should be a look at other daredevils such as Robbie Knievel in action while they discuss their allegiance to the cultural icon. Instead, we get the same look at Evel jumps and no footage of the highlighted daredevils.

The Gunman (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Rated R, $34.98) — Actor Sean Penn hooked up with “Taken” director Pierre Morel in an attempt to succeed in the middle-age, action-hero genre of films earlier this year. His effort in the estimated $40 million budgeted movie did not go so well meeting with critical disdain matched by a lukewarm box office.

Within the story now available on Blu-ray, viewers learn of the woeful tale of a covert sniping specialist with a penchant for chain smoking and humanitarianism. He gets in trouble when an assassination of a Congo official from eight years ago comes back to haunt him. Oh yeah, did I mention he also abandoned the love of his life when escaping the Congo and has PTSD?

Mr. Penn makes the most of the cliché-ridden role here, looking lean, mean and lethal during every bad guy encounter. He gets some onscreen help from a whiny Javier Bardem as a troublemaker and gruff Ray Winstone as a pal.

Viewers will enjoy every violent, close-quarter combat scene, thanks to our hero’s outrageous muscle definition (for a 54-year-old man), slick moves and grizzled charm.

With locations in the Congo, London, Barcelona and Gibraltar, the movie really comes to life through the digital transfer offering a stunning travelogue of some gorgeous locales. Now, toss in a Dolby Atmos sound mix to appreciate the multiple firefights in some of the locations.

Unfortunately, viewers will often find the movie too soap-operatic. And, with zero extras — I do not count eight trailers to other films as an extra — its chances of making it into many a home theater owner’s collection is slim.