Stunt performers - the men and women who put their lives on the line to bring some of the most exciting action sequences we've ever seen to the big screen. They're the unsung heroes of cinema; performers whose bravery causes us to gasp in amazement as they fall through the air, leap across vast chasms and generally risk life and limb all for the sake our entertainment. Many of us don't even know their names, and while - as we'll see - there are a handful of famous actors more than prepared to step into their shoes and do their own stunts, for the most part the stunt performer is something of a mystery. Little wonder that Jason Statham - an actor who insists on performing his own stunts - has campaigned to give them their own fully deserved Oscar category. The following list covers 20 of the craziest stunts ever performed - while by no means comprehensive, nevertheless these represent some of the most insane, death-defying stunts you're likely to see. Needless to say, don't try these at home - or anywhere else, for that matter...
20. David Belle - District 13
In the early 2000s parkour - otherwise known as freerunning - became something of a trend throughout Europe. The basic principle - getting from A to B as quickly as possible using only your body and the surrounding environment - encouraged all manner of idiots to risk life and limb jumping off buildings and breaking legs and arms. Inevitably, the sport found its way onto the cinema screen. Perhaps the best example of a parkour-based action movie is District 13, starring one of the founders of the sport, David Belle. While the film itself is typical of the Luc Besson productions of the era - i.e. a predictable gangster action movie which breaks no ground - the parkour chase sequences are impressive, not least because of the complete absence of wirework and other typical safety measures. Here's a particularly vertiginous chase sequence from the film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3VZhPEQb8c
