25 best movie stunts ever

The Man Who Would be King (1975)

In John Huston’s 1975 epic, Sean Connery’s character is (spoilers!) put to death by being forced to walk to the middle of a rickety rope bridge over a massive gorge – and then having the ropes cut. Stuntman Joe Powell actually plummeted a daunting 80 feet with only some cardboard boxes to break his fall. What’s particularly unnerving is that the boxes were placed unsettlingly close to a ravine – missing it would have meant certain death. Huston even mentioned to Michael Caine that it was the "darnedest stunt he’d ever seen."

Hooper (1978)

Loosely based on the life of director Hal Needham, Hooper paid tribute to the great stuntmen of the business. In one climactic scene, stuntman A.J. Bakunas jumped from a helicopter at a whopping, world-record-breaking 232 feet onto an air bag. If you take into account that the old-school air bags would lift you 30 feet into the air if not precisely hit, it makes the feat all the more impressive.

Sharky’s Machine (1981)

At 220 feet, the jump performed by the legendary Dar Robinson still holds up as the highest wireless free-fall stunt from a building in a commercially released film. The above video shows a behind-the-scenes look at the plummet, but unfortunately only the very beginning was used in the film, and the rest replaced by an obviously noticeable lifeless dummy. It’s a shame because this guy knew how to fall in style.

Armour of God (1986)

After all the broken bones and death-defying jumps over the years, the one thing that brought Jackie Chan closest to death’s door was a flimsy tree branch. Not satisfied with the first take, Jackie’s second attempt follows a terrible accident from what should have been a simple stunt. It left him with a permanent hole in his head and he became partially deaf in one ear.

Stagecoach (1939)

Legendary stuntman Yakima Canutt was a pioneer in the field of leaping off of things. One of his most notable and dangerous stunts was during the electrifying horse chase scene in Stagecoach. Here you can see him jump from horse to horse as he tries to grab the reins, before getting shot and falling beneath the carriage – all at a full paced gallop. This is probably the most dangerous stunt ever attempted. Ever.

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