Think you don't know Vic Armstrong? Wrong! You've seen his work in countless films. He's been stunt double for James Bond, Indiana Jones and Superman, and he's directed action scenes for 3 Bond movies, "Mission Impossible 3", "I Am Legend" and the upcoming "Thor", to name but a few. He's got a lot of amazing stories to tell, and they're all here in this, the movie memoir of the year.
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Review
"Armstrong's a fascinating guy and a straight shooter. His book is fantastic." --Ain't It Cool News
"A fantastic book!" --Film School Rejects
"The man is a legend in the industry...[A] mind-blowing, must-read biography." --Movies.com
"[Vic has] been this unheralded savior of movie magic for decades, and hearing how he makes the incredible credible is a must for any film fan." --Hollywood.com
"A funny, thrilling, insightful and maddening look into the dirty and dangerous work that makes a movie so damn exciting." --CHUD.com
"If you're a movie buff, action aficionado, or just a fan of genre classics, this is a book absolutely worth your while." --IGN.com
"A Hollywood memoir packed with on-set tidbits as our man jumps from balconies, slides under cars and sets himself on fire." --Loaded
"Armstrong has done it all. He has an Oscar... a BAFTA and a This Is Your Life red book. He is justly proud of his filmography and his legacy." --Empire
"As a collection of Hollywood anecdotes, it's brilliant." --SFX Magazine
"A spills 'n' thrills ride through a fast-forward life in pictures." --The Times
"If you've seen a movie stunt in the last 40 years and thought, 'That f*****g ruled,' it was probably Vic Armstrong." --Vanity Fair
"This is the best and most original behind-the-scenes book I have read in years, gripping and revealing. Vic Armstrong is modest, humorous and wry - altogether brilliant company." --Daily Mail
"[This book] is packed with the kind of stories dads like...What a dude!" --The Independent
"If you've seen a movie stunt in the last 40 years and thought, 'That f*****g ruled,' it was probably Vic Armstrong." --Vanity Fair
"This is the best and most original behind-the-scenes book I have read in years, gripping and revealing. Vic Armstrong is modest, humorous and wry - altogether brilliant company." --Daily Mail
"This book is fun and easy to read, it s written with passion and most noticeably from the perspective a fan of movies, one of the many reasons I couldn t put it down." --City of Films
"This is the best and most original behind-the-scenes book I have read in years, gripping and revealing. Vic Armstrong is modest, humorous and wry - altogether brilliant company." --Daily Mail
You may not know Vic Armstrong s name, but you definitely know his work... After more than four decades in the industry, he s finally gotten around to writing down his incredible story in an autobiography fittingly titled The True Adventures of the World s Greatest Stuntman. --Red Bull
"A wild ride through the death-defying maestro s career." --Flavorwire
"Simply fantastic. The story of Vic Armstrong is an essential read and you'll have no doubt by the time you reach the last page that he truly is The World's Greatest Stuntman." --Comic Book Movie
"Don t miss out on meeting one of Hollywood s most prized possessions... Vic Armstrong." --Killer Aphrodite
"Constantly engaging, it's just as spectacular reading about the elaborate stunts as watching them unfold onscreen." --Cool Ass Cinema
"A wild ride through the death-defying maestro s career." --Flavorwire
"A wonderful backstage pass to movie making." --Geek Life
"A great read, and really feels like his voice comes through the page." --Flixist
"Vic has done everything from stunts to directing and there are stories from nearly every film he s worked on. His candor is refreshing; his honesty makes the book a pleasure to read." --Affairs Magazine
"A wild ride through the death-defying maestro s career." --Flavorwire
"A fantastic book!" --Film School Rejects
"The man is a legend in the industry...[A] mind-blowing, must-read biography." --Movies.com
"[Vic has] been this unheralded savior of movie magic for decades, and hearing how he makes the incredible credible is a must for any film fan." --Hollywood.com
"A funny, thrilling, insightful and maddening look into the dirty and dangerous work that makes a movie so damn exciting." --CHUD.com
"If you're a movie buff, action aficionado, or just a fan of genre classics, this is a book absolutely worth your while." --IGN.com
"A Hollywood memoir packed with on-set tidbits as our man jumps from balconies, slides under cars and sets himself on fire." --Loaded
"Armstrong has done it all. He has an Oscar... a BAFTA and a This Is Your Life red book. He is justly proud of his filmography and his legacy." --Empire
"As a collection of Hollywood anecdotes, it's brilliant." --SFX Magazine
"A spills 'n' thrills ride through a fast-forward life in pictures." --The Times
"If you've seen a movie stunt in the last 40 years and thought, 'That f*****g ruled,' it was probably Vic Armstrong." --Vanity Fair
"This is the best and most original behind-the-scenes book I have read in years, gripping and revealing. Vic Armstrong is modest, humorous and wry - altogether brilliant company." --Daily Mail
"[This book] is packed with the kind of stories dads like...What a dude!" --The Independent
"If you've seen a movie stunt in the last 40 years and thought, 'That f*****g ruled,' it was probably Vic Armstrong." --Vanity Fair
"This is the best and most original behind-the-scenes book I have read in years, gripping and revealing. Vic Armstrong is modest, humorous and wry - altogether brilliant company." --Daily Mail
"This book is fun and easy to read, it s written with passion and most noticeably from the perspective a fan of movies, one of the many reasons I couldn t put it down." --City of Films
"This is the best and most original behind-the-scenes book I have read in years, gripping and revealing. Vic Armstrong is modest, humorous and wry - altogether brilliant company." --Daily Mail
You may not know Vic Armstrong s name, but you definitely know his work... After more than four decades in the industry, he s finally gotten around to writing down his incredible story in an autobiography fittingly titled The True Adventures of the World s Greatest Stuntman. --Red Bull
"A wild ride through the death-defying maestro s career." --Flavorwire
"Simply fantastic. The story of Vic Armstrong is an essential read and you'll have no doubt by the time you reach the last page that he truly is The World's Greatest Stuntman." --Comic Book Movie
"Don t miss out on meeting one of Hollywood s most prized possessions... Vic Armstrong." --Killer Aphrodite
"Constantly engaging, it's just as spectacular reading about the elaborate stunts as watching them unfold onscreen." --Cool Ass Cinema
"A wild ride through the death-defying maestro s career." --Flavorwire
"A wonderful backstage pass to movie making." --Geek Life
"A great read, and really feels like his voice comes through the page." --Flixist
"Vic has done everything from stunts to directing and there are stories from nearly every film he s worked on. His candor is refreshing; his honesty makes the book a pleasure to read." --Affairs Magazine
"A wild ride through the death-defying maestro s career." --Flavorwire
About the Author
Vic Armstrong is in the Guinness Book of Records as the World's Most Prolific Stuntman. 'Nuff said. Robert Sellers is the author of several books, including Hellraisers and a biography of Harrison Ford.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Welshandrew
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I could not put this book down, it is riveting read from cover to cover.
Vic Armstrong is best known as the double for Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones Movies (The three that are good!). this book charts his whole career and you will be amazed at the amount of films he worked on, as a stuntman and later on action director.
The stories are written simply, without technical jargon or gorey additions, they entertain, enlighten and make you wince with pain! All of the stories are truthfully told and so matter of fact, even if they involve deaths of helicopter pilots, friends and animals, but all with the utmost respect.
There is a lot of name dropping, Vic has met tons of director and actors and gives a brief opinion on them all!
I think it is a wonderful book and all film fans should get a copy.
Vic Armstrong is best known as the double for Harrison Ford in the Indiana Jones Movies (The three that are good!). this book charts his whole career and you will be amazed at the amount of films he worked on, as a stuntman and later on action director.
The stories are written simply, without technical jargon or gorey additions, they entertain, enlighten and make you wince with pain! All of the stories are truthfully told and so matter of fact, even if they involve deaths of helicopter pilots, friends and animals, but all with the utmost respect.
There is a lot of name dropping, Vic has met tons of director and actors and gives a brief opinion on them all!
I think it is a wonderful book and all film fans should get a copy.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A. Taylor
Format:Hardcover
I suspect Vic Armstrong is not a fan of English winters.He's broken several bones,torn ligaments and carries around with him pieces of metal that set off airport alarms.Still, he has other pieces of metal,an Oscar and a Bafta,that may go some way to ease the pain.
He has his memories too and in his book he is only too pleased to share them with us.
His anecdotes make you wince,smile and his tribute to Roy Alon will touch you.
It's nice to read about a man,not from a privileged background who
'stumbled' on a career,found he had a gift for it,and eventually became the best in the world.
He has his memories too and in his book he is only too pleased to share them with us.
His anecdotes make you wince,smile and his tribute to Roy Alon will touch you.
It's nice to read about a man,not from a privileged background who
'stumbled' on a career,found he had a gift for it,and eventually became the best in the world.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By S. Weller
Format:Hardcover
I think adventure was implanted into Vic Armstrong's unique DNA cell structure from birth; a man who would quickly prove himself as a one of a kind master of his particular craft, and widely regarded as perhaps the finest Stunt Coordinator and Second Unit Director in the world by his peers within the elite British and Hollywood film industries in general, of whose projects have all greatly benefited from his talents.
He's also one of the very elite few to have jumped from a horse onto a tank, led a huge cavalry charge, dropped from a collapsing rope bridge, thrown himself off of a helicopter onto a mountain peak, gone up, up and away as the ultimate purveyor of Truth, Justice and the American Way, and slid downwards into a volcanic rocket base hideaway! Its all been a regular days work for this particular action hero gentleman over the years, working with the best of the business in the stunt field. Assisted by Robert Sellers, this incredible film history of adrenaline is presented by Vic in a fun, easy to read and very personable style, and is a fascinating and informative look at the wild, crazy, adrenaline rush universe of the Stuntman and director of mega-budget action, and, to its credit, also charts the success and failures you can have in the job, and how luck- of being in the right time and the right place- would play a great part within his career, especially in his early years within the always struggling British film industry of the early seventies.
And its all pretty much thanks to Bond...James Bond that Armstrong gets that memorable first foothold into the entertainment business, starting off on the classic Sean Connery vehicle YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, playing a Ninja, which would eventually lead to an even more successful road directing explosion strewn action and physical character drama in three further Bonds, followed in the early eighties by the world beloved classic INDIANA JONES trilogy, where his talents shone through as the perfect stunt double for Harrison Ford (the pair having a brilliant off-screen relationship that has many fun moments in the book) and as an inventive action creator/spotter for Steven Spielberg (who provides the books affectionate foreword) on RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK onwards (intriguingly, with regards to the classic Indy shooting the swordsman scene in this breakthrough movie, Vic reveals a slightly different version of events as to how that sequence actually happened, in comparison to what has been historically said by Spielberg and Ford over the years). He'd also then save the day several years later when the gang were all-reunited on THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, rescuing the film from a possible shut-down, and the loss of time and money, when star Ford had a serious back operation that had to be quickly sorted out. All of these great memories are, for me personally, the best sections of the book as he covers his one-of-a-kind experiences working on the epic franchise movies, with Armstrong surely being a critical talent to their success with regards to the believable filmic reality of the action/adventure scenes.
Some 900 terrific rare photos from Vic's private collection have been well assembled for collection within the book, showing many of the classic stunts he has performed or been linked to, as well as with the stars and his family, accompanied by further mega league remembrances and tributes from the likes of Harrison Ford, Angelina Jolie, and Christopher Lee.
All in all, a terrific book!
He's also one of the very elite few to have jumped from a horse onto a tank, led a huge cavalry charge, dropped from a collapsing rope bridge, thrown himself off of a helicopter onto a mountain peak, gone up, up and away as the ultimate purveyor of Truth, Justice and the American Way, and slid downwards into a volcanic rocket base hideaway! Its all been a regular days work for this particular action hero gentleman over the years, working with the best of the business in the stunt field. Assisted by Robert Sellers, this incredible film history of adrenaline is presented by Vic in a fun, easy to read and very personable style, and is a fascinating and informative look at the wild, crazy, adrenaline rush universe of the Stuntman and director of mega-budget action, and, to its credit, also charts the success and failures you can have in the job, and how luck- of being in the right time and the right place- would play a great part within his career, especially in his early years within the always struggling British film industry of the early seventies.
And its all pretty much thanks to Bond...James Bond that Armstrong gets that memorable first foothold into the entertainment business, starting off on the classic Sean Connery vehicle YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, playing a Ninja, which would eventually lead to an even more successful road directing explosion strewn action and physical character drama in three further Bonds, followed in the early eighties by the world beloved classic INDIANA JONES trilogy, where his talents shone through as the perfect stunt double for Harrison Ford (the pair having a brilliant off-screen relationship that has many fun moments in the book) and as an inventive action creator/spotter for Steven Spielberg (who provides the books affectionate foreword) on RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK onwards (intriguingly, with regards to the classic Indy shooting the swordsman scene in this breakthrough movie, Vic reveals a slightly different version of events as to how that sequence actually happened, in comparison to what has been historically said by Spielberg and Ford over the years). He'd also then save the day several years later when the gang were all-reunited on THE TEMPLE OF DOOM, rescuing the film from a possible shut-down, and the loss of time and money, when star Ford had a serious back operation that had to be quickly sorted out. All of these great memories are, for me personally, the best sections of the book as he covers his one-of-a-kind experiences working on the epic franchise movies, with Armstrong surely being a critical talent to their success with regards to the believable filmic reality of the action/adventure scenes.
Some 900 terrific rare photos from Vic's private collection have been well assembled for collection within the book, showing many of the classic stunts he has performed or been linked to, as well as with the stars and his family, accompanied by further mega league remembrances and tributes from the likes of Harrison Ford, Angelina Jolie, and Christopher Lee.
All in all, a terrific book!
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3.8 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
behind the scenes of stunts
vic armstrong book is a great read about is life as a stuntman and all the people he has doubled -behind the scenes of how films are made and the stars
Published 19 days ago by Edward Wells
4.0 out of 5 stars
Behind the scenes
An interesting look into the film industry but at times a little self indulgent. Worthy of 4 stars and recommended to any film fan
Published 1 month ago by A E Large
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best I have ever worked with !!
I recommend this book because what he has said in the book is true , and I like the way he is generous to the people he has worked with .. Read more
Published 2 months ago by james devis
3.0 out of 5 stars
The True Adventures of the Worlds Greatest Stuntman
Interesting, but Vic skipped through many films , not mentioning what stunts were performed. Not much technical detail.Not many photos of stunts being performed.
Published 5 months ago by Mr S W Reynolds
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Read
This book is great for anyone with any interest in what goes on behind the making of a movie.
I have always wanted to go to an actual film set and although several actors... Read more
I have always wanted to go to an actual film set and although several actors... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Tedmiami
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Insight Into Stuntmen, But With A Lot Of Namedropping
I've had mixed feelings about this book, which has intrigued and infuriated at times. On balance though, I think that if you have enjoyed the action movies of the last thirty years... Read more
Published 7 months ago by A. Marczak
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cracking book for any film fan.
Finished this book in a week. I found it very interesting as Vic Armstrong has worked on so many films that I love. Read more
Published 9 months ago by stomach
5.0 out of 5 stars
FANTASTIC
I have always been interested in movies, ever since I was young. I enjoyed reading books on how they were made and also watching documentaries any time they appeared on TV, which... Read more
Published 12 months ago by D. Woods
5.0 out of 5 stars
You name them, Vic's worked with them
In an age where behind the scenes books & documentaries are becoming rather repetitive it was a joy to read Vic Armstrong's memoirs, a true icon of the last few generations of... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Captain EO
3.0 out of 5 stars
He worked on Indiana Jones, y'know
There's little doubt that Vic Armstrong is very good at what he does. The list of credits in the back of his autobiography spell this out loud and clear. Read more
Published 14 months ago by CJ
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