2nd Chance

Ramin Bahrani uncovers a classic tale of the perverse American dream. In 1969, when he owned a pair of pizza shops in Detroit, Michigan, Richard Davis was held up by two men during a pizza delivery and shot in the leg and right temple. Following this traumatic event, Davis invented the bulletproof vest as we know it today. In what was part publicity stunt, part science experiment and part brilliant marketing tool, Davis put his life on the line to prove his product worked: he shot himself and filmed it. One hundred and ninety-two times. These absurd yet comical demonstrations vaulted him into cult status among his biggest customers—US law enforcement and the military. 2nd Chance is the compelling rise-and-fall saga of a charismatic dreamer who let greed coincide with his vision. Bahrani delivers a vastly entertaining cautionary tale that manages to find morality in the darkest and most perverse corner of Americana. (Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival)