Stunt performers are the unsung heroes of the movie industry. Continually overlooked (where’s the Oscar for Best Stunts?), they do the dangerous stuff so those on the poster can look heroic. The rise of CGI has also led audiences to think less about the non-digital artists behind the scenes. The Fall Guy, a big screen remake of the 1980s TV show of the same name, brings these behind-the-scenes figures front and centre.
Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers, a veteran stunt man who doubles for A-lister Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). An injury sees him leave the job, and sabotage his relationship with camerawoman Jody (Emily Blunt), only to be called back in when Ryder goes missing.
Director David Leitch is a former stunt coordinator who directed Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, and Fast and Furious spin-off Hobbs and Shaw. This impressive CV brings an expert fusion of action and comedy to The Fall Guy.
There are car chases, falls, and choreographed fights that bring the brawn and the belly laughs. In one of the standout scenes, an accidentally drugged Gosling takes out nightclub thugs while hallucinating images of unicorns. Two hours is a hefty runtime for a comedy, but Leitch’s tone means there’s always something to make your pulse raise or your sides split.
Gosling and Blunt are able to elevate anything they are in. As Barbie proved, Gosling is brilliant at playing characters that have huge insecurities hiding beneath a cool exterior. As well as the larking about, he has moments that recall his Drive heyday. Blunt doesn’t get as much action time, but is brilliantly deadpan as the up-and-coming filmmaker trying desperately to conceal her broken heart. They make for a terrific duo, harking back to a time when personalities rather than IPs sold cinema tickets.
Elsewhere, other famous names are getting in on the fun. Chief among them is Hannah Waddingham, something of a national treasure after her success with Ted Lasso and hosting last year’s Eurovision. She oozes Tinseltown fakery in a delightful supporting role, while Leitch’s Bullet Train collaborator Taylor-Johnson is charmingly goofy as the conceited star.
The plot isn’t anything revolutionary, and the moments of Hollywood satire aren’t as clever as the script seems to think they are, but The Fall Guy is the kind of light-hearted summer fun that brings to mind movies like True Lies or Tropic Thunder.
