‘The Fall Guy’ Review
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, Ben Knight, Matuse, Adam Dunn | Written by Drew Pearce | Directed by David Leitch
Stunts have been at the forefront of cinema since the beginning. Some of the earliest directors, actors, and writers were the very best stunt performers. Think Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd. Their influence can be seen across the history of cinema, from bridge jumps in Smokey and the Bandit, to lorry flips in The Dark Knight, shopping centre jumps in Police Story, to jumping off cliffs in the latest Mission Impossible. Stunts are in every action movie and ingrained in the very fabric of the art form – why it’s not yet recognised by the academy is a mystery, but David Leitch and his talented cast and crew look set on solving the mystery by putting a spotlight on those stunt performers.
The Fall Guy is Leitch’s latest film and is an adaption of the 1980s TV show of the same name. Starring Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a down-and-out stuntman that must find the missing star of his ex-flames blockbuster film. His ex flame, played by Emily Blunt, has finally been given her big break and it’s up to Colt to save the day, in the only way a stunt man knows how!
The standout piece of The Fall Guy, that really makes everything work, is the chemistry and charisma of the two leads. Gosling and Blunt, two stars that have spent the last decade in a multitude of genres, working with an array of directors and last year going toe to toe at the box office and recently at the Oscars (with Barbie and Oppenheimer). They prove as soon as they are on screen why they have been such sought out talents in Hollywood and as they proved in a small bit they had at the Oscars, they have heaps of chemistry together, more than any other duo on screen this year. Their characters seem made for each other, their flirtatious banter not only provides laughs but every moment feels genuine and natural. Gosling himself in the films lead shows us the same comedic timing that he displayed so brilliantly in other films such as The Nice Guys and Barbie, and with Blunt to bounce off he is at his comedic best.
But of course, the showstopper of it all is the stunts. The Fall Guy is about a stunt man, it’s directed by a former stunt man, and the action set pieces and stunt work does not disappoint. It’s big and it’s loud and every moment is filled with an excitement and energy that pushes every scene forward. The film is slightly too long but that excitement and energy pushes you through at a pace that never lets the film feel like it’s dragging. Through the stunts it soon sets an excitement to see the next action set pieces, just to see what the stunt performers will do next, from getting set on fire to getting dragged along in a skip, the film has everything, including a new Guinness world record for cannon rolls in a car, setting the new record at eight and a half rolls.
The Fall Guy is not perfect in its screenplay, but the faults in the story are made up by the fun chemistry between the leads and brilliant action set pieces. It’s the ultimate popcorn movie, one you can turn your brain off and have lots of fun throughout. If you’ve enjoyed Ryan Gosling trying his hand at comedy then you’re bound to have fun, and if you’ve enjoyed any of David Leitch’s previous films, this is by far his best to date. And be sure to stick around through the credits to see those incredible stunt performers at work.
**** 4/5
The Fall Guy is in cinemas now.
