Sonny Hooper (Burt Reynolds) is getting too banged up to remain Hollywood's top stuntman, but he signs up as the stunt coordinator for a big-budget action movie with a pushy director (Robert Klein) and a clueless star (Adam West). Ready to retire from the physical abuse, Hooper is gearing up to make the film's climactic stunt his biggest ever, but cocky young stuntman Ski Chinski (Jan-Michael Vincent) aims to steal the glory with his more scientific, technology-oriented stunt methods.