‘Evolution of Stunts’: Stuntman Performs Litany of Death-Defying Acts

There’s been an effort to recognize stunt work with its own Academy Award in recent years, and it’s easy to see why in “The Evolution of Stunts with Damien Walters.” Walters, a former gymnast, has performed stunt work in such films as “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger” and next month’s “Assassin’s Creed.” Watch a two-and-a-half minute sample of his work below.

The allusive video contains callbacks to several famous movie scenes: the plane flying overhead in “North by Northwest,” the house falling on Buster Keaton in “Steamboat Bill Jr.” and wire-fu reminiscent of “The Matrix” and its predecessors. It begins with comparatively low-key stunts and escalates from there, culminating in the stuntman doing a front flip while on fire.

The video comes from All-4, the on-demand channel of England’s Channel 4, which produces many similar efforts on its YouTube channel and elsewhere.