The Fall Guy (David Leitch, 2024)
The Fall Guy is a highly entertaining and at times even dazzling action-comedy, celebrating the dangerous work of stunt people, and elevated by the romantic chemistry between lead actors Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt.
The movie is very loosely based on the eponymous tv-series from the 1980’s, about stuntman Colt Seavers, which starred Lee Majors and ran for five seasons.
This new Fall Guy is directed by David Leitch, a former stuntman himself for the likes of Brad Pitt, and the director of movies like Atomic Blonde and Bullet Train.
Together with screenwriter Drew Pearce and stunt coordinator Chris O’Hara he made sure that the crazy stunts in this movie don’t just deliver in terms of high-octane action thrills, but also form an integral part of the story.
The new Colt Seavers is played by Ryan Gosling, who really takes a fall from a great height in the picture’s opening scene and subsequently retires, both from his job as stunt double for famous star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and from his girlfriend Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), a camera assistant looking to make her first feature as a director.
Fast forward 18 months and Colt is called to Australia, where Jody is now filming her own sci-fi movie Metalstorm. He is told by producer Gail (Hannah Waddington) that Jody needs him to double for Tom, but when he arrives on set the star has gone missing and Jody still hates his guts for ghosting her.
On Gail’s behest, Colt goes out looking for Tom and so the real plot is set in motion. The mystery detective story is good fun with some nice twists and turns, while the second chance romance between Colt and Judy is made believable by the incredible chemistry between the two movie stars, who not only know how to deliver witty dialogue but also how to make love by just looking at each other.
The Fall Guy is also a loving ode to the work that stuntmen do, as well as all the other crew members who get movies made through service above and beyond the call of duty.
In these CGI-dominated times it’s a great reminder that Hollywood is still capable of making movie magic through practical effects and real world action.
The Fall Guy is a class effort that thoroughly deserves to be seen in a theater!
Note: The Fall Guy is either out now or will be released later this week in most parts of the world.