Sundance doc looks at man behind the modern bulletproof vest

Richard Davis was a bankrupt pizzeria owner when he got the idea for a bulletproof vest in 1969 Michigan.

Body armor was nothing new, of course, but Davis had an inkling that he could make something lighter that could be worn, undetected, under clothes. Kevlar, he’d discover, was the answer. And to prove that his invention actually worked, Davis, a former Marine and born showman, went to some extraordinary lengths: He shot himself over 190 times.

Somehow, that’s not even the wildest part of his story, which is chronicled in the lively documentary “2nd Chance," which premiered this weekend at the Sundance Film Festival.

Utilizing new interviews with Davis, friends, enemies and ex-wives, the film charts the formation of his company Second Chance, its triumphs (saving hundreds of lives) and tragedies, including the death of a police officer after the company started using Zylon in its vest.

“2nd Chance” is the documentary feature debut of Ramin Bahrani, the Iranian-American filmmaker whose films often explore and dismantle notions of the American dream, including “Chop Shop and “99 Homes.”

He was editing his last feature, “ The White Tiger, ” when several producers approached him about making a narrative film about Davis. But Bahrani surprised them when he said he’d rather make a doc.

“I tried to go there not knowing and not having a set plan and just waiting for the people to tell me things,” Bahrani said. “With the short docs I had made, I remember calling Werner Herzog and asking him what’s the approach? His advice was don’t pre-interview people on the phone, don’t talk to them before you meet them. Just start rolling the camera and get those immediate interactions.”

Davis is an eccentric character who is at times shockingly candid and other times a wholly unreliable...