Stuntmen get some glory

Why would anyone in their right mind pursue a painful career as a stuntman? This man, one of five highlighted in the documentary �Action Boys� says because he thought it would be fun. The film recently had its world premier at the New York Asian Film Festival. The director said he decided to make �Action Boys� because he wanted to show fans how action movies are made. �Action Boys� follows five young men from their stunt school auditions to the sets of some of Korea’s most popular movies. In one scene, it shows the students practicing falls from a movie. Another scene shows a stuntman taking repeated blows to the head so the director can capture enough shots. This programmer for the film festival says the lack of protective regulations recalls Hollywood in the silent days, and he says this is not just happening in Korea. This stuntman says he doesn’t like to keep track of his injuries. When he does get injured he doesn’t get paid extra and he doesn’t have insurance. Stuntmen in Korea don’t talk about what they make but it’s far less than stuntmen in Hollywood. They also say most stuntmen in Hollywood can specialize in one type of stunt whereas in Korea they have to be able to do anything. �Action Boys� pulls back the curtain on how action movies are made, though it’s not intended as an expose. The director sees it more as a tribute to the amazing work of these stuntmen.