Greetings again from the darkness. We don’t always know what ignites a particular passion in someone; however, Joe Jennings has the card so many husbands mistakenly play … only his is accurate and beyond debate. Jennings can blame his wife, Sissy, for this decades long passion for ‘camera flying’. Although it was his father who sparked the interest in photography, it was Sissy who first convinced Joe to skydive. The rest is X-Games and cinematography history. Maura Strauch (SUNSHINE SUPERMAN, 2014) and Bryce Leavitt (directorial debut) have found their profile of Joe Jennings to be well-received on the film festival circuit.
Much of the film floats around Jennings’ long-awaited final aerial stunt: successfully executing and shooting four passengers in a car that gets pushed from a plane. Now don’t worry, Jennings has pushed more than 100 cars from planes – he’s the guy to call if you need that filmed, yet he’s struggled for years with the four passengers and having some control of the car free-falling. I doubt many will be surprised at how easy it is to push a car out of an airplane, and how challenging it can be to control the unpredictable fall.
We learn about Jennings’ childhood … one which he admits was “not normal”, including being referred to as “Joe Dirt” by classmates. Still, he found his place after Sissy got him skydiving and he later partnered with remarkable skysurfer Rob Harris – at least until tragedy struck. Jennings is forthright in his comment, “things can go wrong quickly”, and obviously from 12,000 feet above, things going wrong can be catastrophic. The filmmakers utilize some familiar music on the soundtrack, including “Mad World”, Mason Williams, and ELO, but it’s the incredible midair footage (and car flying) that generates the oohs and aahs.
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Movie Reviews from the Dark 
Interesting reviews as always. I don’t normally take any interest in watching documentaries but your positive review has given me a strong reason to check this one out. Skydiving is a dangerous activity that I have always found fascinating. I have always been fascinated with the lives of stunt performers that engage in risky skydiving. It’s a sport that has often made for engaging movies. For instance, this documentary brought to mind the movie “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”. Released in 2018, Christopher McQuarrie’s sixth mission found Tom Cruise engaging in skydiving. One of my favourite action movies of all-time. So, even when I don’t normally watch documentaries, I will be definitely sure to check this one out. As someone taking keen interest in skydiving, I have a strong feeling I would end up enjoying it.
Here’s my thoughts on “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”: