The Fall Guy (2024) Review

A BLOCKBUSTER “LOVE LETTER”

TO THE STUNT COMMUNITY

A stunt performer (often referred to be called a “stuntman” or “stuntwoman” or even “stuntperson”) is a trained individual professional who performs daring acts as a career. Not to be confused with daredevils, who are performers that take daring acts / feats for a live audience, stunt performers have appeared on both the small and big screen platform, and usually take the place of another actor, with their industry moniker name “stunt double” to perform such dangerous scenes. However, they are almost the “unsung heroes” of those very same productions, with their names (and their work) getting pushed aside for other mark key players on those endeavors. Such practices as stunt performer have been around for quite some time (since the early days of filmmaking) and are proficient in both choregraphing and safely presenting on-screen action sequences that appear to be risky, dangerous, or even deadly. Such frequent performance of scenes includes car crashes, falling from great heights, being drag behind a vehicle / object, intense combat sequences, and high charged of explosions scenes. While action oriented movies / tv shows are such prime candidates to be use stunt performers, this isn’t limited to that particular genre as other categories, including horror, comedy, drama, sci-fi, fantasy, have all utilized such professional individuals to pull off such great dramatic sequences in a perfectly executed manner that gets that appropriate shot for the project, while also handled by a person who knows the safe and regulations. Now, Universal Pictures and director David Leitch presents a film that showcases the “stunt community” getting their respective cinematic limelight in the movie The Fall Guy. Does this action-comedy project find that certain “sweet spot” between blockbuster entertainment and homage refences to the industry or is it all noise and not enough gumption within its motion picture’s substance?

THE STORY

Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is a professional stunt performer, who is having a flirtatious fling with film camera operator Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). The pair are currently working together an action movie, which stars big-time star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and are enjoying their time with each other during their time onset. However, the gig comes with its dangers as Colt experience a sudden accident during the feature’s production, injuring his back in the process and leaving the profession. 18 months later, Colt is struggling and unsatisfied with his current life, yet gets an unexpected call from Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham), Ryder’s producer, who is requesting the former stuntman to come out of retirement and to be a part of her latest production “Metalstorm”, which has Jody seated in the director’s chair for her big debut. Traveling to Mexico, Colt, who didn’t make contact with Jody during their time away with each other, tries to find a way to express his feelings to her, confusing his ex, who is feeling the demands of moviemaking and the pressure of trying to helm the picture’s management. However, duty soon calls for something more than stunt work when Tom Ryder goes missing, with Gail asking Colt to the troubled superstar, without causing attention to his disappearance. Reluctantly accepting the assignment, Colt follows the clues towards Ryder’s last known whereabouts, which leads to a stranger’s corpse in the actor’s hotel room. Feeling that there seems to be more going on that Gail has told him about Ryder’s absence, Colt takes off to understand the situation, digging deeper into locating Tom, while trying to hold Jody’s attention, hoping there could be warmth underneath her iciness.

THE GOOD / THE BAD

As stated above, stunt performers on both TV and movies are the “unsung heroes” of those productions. They don’t get nearly enough credit nor the recognition that they deserved for the dangerous risks that they take. Seeing all those various stunts that take place in movies (and TV series) of those car chase sequences that have plenty of twists and turns, those big-time explosions that occur during intense sequences of “do or die” moments, and even those intense fighting that require some choreographic maneuvering. All of those such tactics are what makes us (the viewers) be “wowed” over in cinematic awe, with such dangerous stunts being captured within a filmmaking lens and helps transports its viewers into some crazy and fantastic scenes of death defying feats. Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde, Top Gun: Maverick, and The Raid as well as long-running film franchises such as Mission Impossible, John Wick, James Bond, and Fast & Furious are able to capture such immersive and intense scenes that require the stunt performers to secure sequences that are both dangerous and jaw-dropping to behold. In the end, stunt community for movies (as well as TV shows) don’t get enough credit for their efforts in making such fantastical (and dangerous) sequences come alive and should be applauded for the valiant profession in capturing those awe-inspiring moments that are captured with the camera lens.

This brings me back around to talking about The Fall Guy, a 2024 action-comedy film and the latest directorial project from David Leitch. I can’t remember when I first heard about this project, but I do remember hearing that Leitch’s next film (after Bullet Train) was going to star both actor Ryan Gosling and actress Emily Blunt in the two lead roles of the feature. Of course, the mere mentioning that both Gosling and Blunt, both who had tremendous and big success in their respective 2023 films in both Barbie and Oppenheimer (aka “Barbiehemier”) got everyone excited, including myself. In addition, given Leitch’s reputation of having crazy action stunts in his feature, The Fall Guy seemed right up his alley, which definitely got me excited to see it. The film’s movie trailers sure did heighten my expectations, with the previews showcasing plenty of Leitch’s style and visual flair for action scenes and some great chemistry working between Gosling and Blunt. So, I was pretty much “sold” on seeing The Fall Guy when it was set to be released on May 3rd, 2024. I did get a chance to see the movie on its opening day and worked hard to get this review done as soon as possible. And what did I think of it? Well, I actually liked it. Despite some elongated moments and a few problematic areas in the third act, The Fall Guy is cinematic “love letter” to the stunt community in the industry and quite a niche experience as a summer blockbuster endeavor. It’s not quite the best of Leitch’s projects, but it does come close and does provides a lot of big fun (and big laughs) in this popcorn action-comedy variety, which is a good thing.

As a sidenote, I do know that this movie is based on The Fall Guy tv show, an 80s series from ABC that starred Lee Majors in the title role (Colt Seavers) and ran for five seasons (113 episodes) from 1981-1986. However, I never had the chance to see the show, so I can’t compare the two and to mention what was changed, added, or omitted from the new film project.

As stated, The Fall Guy is directed by David Leitch, whose previous directorial works include such films as Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde, and John Wick. Given his background in directing such action-oriented pictures and being a stunt performer in his past endeavors, Leitch does seem like the most suitable choice to helm a project like this. In that regard, Leitch succeeds, approaching the material with a sense of visual flair for the feature to have as well as keeping up the appearance of both a blockbuster endeavor (by today’s standards) and being a movie that is dedicated to the stunt community. Yes, for all purposes here, The Fall Guy is, more or less, a sort of passion project for Leitch and it does come across as such….in a good and sleek way. As stated, Leitch’s background as a stunt performer has given his past films that sort of authenticity, especially in the way he stages and executes such dangerous and awe-inspiring moments on-screen. As such, for a film like this, Leitch seems to be “right at home” and choreographs many of the movie’s stunt sequences with such precision and effectiveness. That’s not to say that he does with a carefree style as the film does showcases the pitfalls and danger for such elaborate scenes that occur in movies and how the stunt performer has to “take it on the chin” to get the money shot scene for the picture. Leitch doesn’t just only load the feature with eye-popping moments, but also gives the credit to these performers and that’s pretty big feat to accomplish, especially in a major studio film.

This, of course, leans into the film’s action scenes, which the movie has plenty of and (again) plays to the strengths of Leitch’s direction and background aesthetics. These sequences are (naturally) the movie’s “bread and butter” do help heighten some of the exciting scenes throughout the feature. The action is fun, clever, and even wild at times, with Leitch’s technique for such stunt performed sequences to be top-notch and quite exhilarating to watch. Thus, whether you didn’t particular care for the movie’s plot as much, there is no denying the fact that Leitch makes The Fall Guy a personal “love letter” cinematic tribute to the stunt filmmaking community.

Looking beyond stunt aspect and nuances, Leitch does make the feature have that large-scale feeling, with the feature boasting plenty of action and large-scale points to help propel the main narrative forward. The film’s story, while conventional at times, does have enough gumption to make it work, following Colt Seavers journey to make a “comeback” in his career as well as continue to pin once again over Jodi, while tasked by following clues as to the whereabouts of Tom Ryder. It’s a classic narrative trope that has done many times over, which can be seeing as point of criticism (more on that below), but Leitch seems to be having fun with the feature’s premise and makes it a large-scale blockbuster romper that is filled with action and comedy. Of course, I’ve mentioned the film’s actions sequence, which are equally measured and capable to the director’s talents, but the movie’s comedy portion of the feature works quite well and has plenty of humorous laughs along the way. Of course, the acting talent enlisted for this project definitely helps aid in that endeavor, but I do have to admit that some of the sight / physical gags throughout the feature were pretty hilarious and definitely held their own. The drama portion of the movie is what I would expect from a blockbuster picture by the ways and means of being quite broad, yet still relatable to a certain degree. It’s not a bad thing as I didn’t expect this particular movie to have a deep story of melodrama antics as it keeps everything moving. I did find myself laughing out loud throughout the movie, which was a good thing in my book. In the end, Leitch does a good job in making The Fall Guy a fun and unique turn of a summer blockbuster feature film that pays tribute to stunt performers out there in a cinematic finish that will appeal to moviegoers.

For its presentation, The Fall Guy certainly does carry the cinematic display (gumption and visual flair) of a commonplace summer blockbuster endeavor. Given the fact that the movie itself takes place on the film set of blockbuster feature film, the production quality looks (and feels) top notch and goes quite well with the picture’s visual aesthetics. As mentioned, the various nods and winks to both the filmmaking community and the stunt performer community are alive and vivid throughout the movie’s presentation, which certainly does breathe life throughout the production. Thus, the film’s “behind the scenes” main players, including David Scheunemann (production design), Christian Petersen (set decorations), Sarah Evelyn (costume designs), and the entire art direction team for making their efforts in The Fall Guy come alive with effective cinematic quality and visual flair within their respective fields.

Additionally, the cinematography work by Jonathan Sela, who had work with Leitch several times on his previous projects, is quite exhilarating to watch. With the feature staging (and orchestrating) such great stunt sequences, Sela’s filmmaking technique of capturing such imagery is quite profound and certainly does help elevate the film during those moments, enhancing everything with some quick and sleek camera angles and cutaway as well as some dramatic usage of light and shadowing effects. Plus, the film sequences for the feature’s “Metalstorm” movie also benefit from Sela’s cinematography work, which are also great. Lastly, the film’s score, which was composed by Dominic Lewis, does provide plenty of bombastic and blockbuster flair throughout the movie, which definitely does compliment the feature’s filmmaking aesthetics and nuances. Lewis’s work certainly hits all the right melodic notes in both in the quieter parts and the more action pack ones throughout the movie, but The Fall Guy does have plenty of other musical songs in its arsenal for a rocking soundtrack rolodex.

Unfortunately, The Fall Guy isn’t quite the incredibly awesome movie that it wants to be. It’s definitely entertaining, but there are some particular aspects that are quite ironed out the correct way, which leaves the film rather messy and elongated at times. How so? Well, for starters, the movie does get unfocused from time to time and does meander a bit too much. There are moments where everything in the movie clicks the correct way and runs incredibly smooth, which is seeing during the first act of the feature. Everything is on point and hitting all the marks correct. After that, however, the movie’s plot starts to take shape a bit more, yet it isn’t as tightly woven as it could’ve been. This, of course, makes the movie feels longer than it needs to be and ends having several pacing issues throughout the most of the film’s runtime, which is only 126 minutes (two hours and six minutes). This perhaps derives from Leitch’s helming the project, who does have some difficulty in mixing action and comedy angle in a few parts. Again, when it works, it certainly does work the right way, but there seems to be an unfocused nature to the second and third act, which could’ve been better handled. Basically, the movie meanders too much and loses its steam during the latter half (more on that below), with Leitch struggling to find a proper rhythm for the feature

In conjunction with this idea, the plot does come up short from time to time. I do understand the nature of the feature’s narrative, which doesn’t take itself too seriously and I personally wasn’t expecting it to be. That being said, what’s present does seem work, yet missing some pieces to the story / plot, which creates a few fragmented scenes. Perhaps the script, which was penned by Drew Pearce, could be the main culprit behind this criticism as the story (of how it was written) draws some much unwanted attention, exposing some bland holes throughout. As mentioned, the story of The Fall Guy is there, but isn’t quite as focused on what it aims to tell, sluggishly (at times) trying to unravel a plot that the main character (i.e. Colt Seavers) tries to unwrap. It’s fun and engaging (and even easy to follow without any type of confusion), but it seems very underwhelming at times, with a few bits and pieces that feel superfluous or not entirely fleshed out correct. Perhaps if Pearce could’ve given the script a bit more finesse (or even another writer brought on to help him), then the film’s story / plot could’ve been improved upon. However, as it stands, The Fall Guy’s narrative, while entertaining and amusing, feels a bit half-baked in a few areas, with not enough substance in other places.

Lastly, the film’s third act felt too strenuous on the feature and ends up being too elongated for its own good. What do I mean by that? Well, the final part of the movie’s narrative does draw a conclusion, but how the feature reaches that said conclusion is where the problems start to show the picture some wear. Basically, the ending act for the movie is far too long and keeps propelling forward when it should’ve concluded awhile, which cause the film to loose its steam and become far too long for its own good. Perhaps if the editing process (as well as direction and script) were ironed out better than this portion of the feature would’ve been more exciting rather than running it course into the ground for far too long. In short, The Fall Guy’s third act easily could’ve been edited down by shaving off many superfluous sequences and cutting out a good ten or so minutes out of the film’s runtime for a cleaner (and more focused) finale.

The cast in The Fall Guy does help the feature rise above some of the criticisms, with the selected acting talent (both major and minor) are solid across the board and seem to be having fun throughout the entire production. Of course, some are a bit fleshed out (and some should’ve been more fleshed than what was presented), but, for the most part, much of the cast (and the characters themselves) are entertaining to watch and go about their lives throughout the film’s story. Naturally, the film’s “big ticketed” stars would have to be actor Ryan Gosling and actress Emily Blunt, who play the two lead characters of stuntman Colt Seavers and aspiring first time director / Colt’s ex-girlfriend Jody Moreno. Gosling, who is known for his roles in The Notebook, La La Land, and Barbie, has certainly made a name for himself in Hollywood throughout the past decade, starring in many leading character roles that have given him notoriety in his endeavors. Such was a character in playing Ken in 2023’s Barbie, which he did excel at playing. Thus, given his popularity, Gosling once again charms his way through the center stage of the movie as Colt Seavers, bring the right amount of swagger and charismatic personality to make the role likeable and humorous throughout. Gosling knows how to play such a character like Colt and does it quite brilliantly whenever he’s on-screen, playing the charismatic way that the role calls for as well as the goofy quirks / loveable antics. His character is written in a similar “straightforward” way, finding Colt’s journey to be a familiar one, so there isn’t a whole lot of surprises along the way. That being said, it’s Gosling who helps propel the character forward and imbues him with a likeable personality as he struggles, fumbles, and gets caught up in some dangerous situations throughout the course of the feature. Thus, while the character isn’t that all original or breaking new ground, Gosling certainly does make the most of playing such a role like Colt Seavers; creating a fun and charismatic protagonist that’s fun to watch and easy to root for.

Much Gosling, Blunt, who is known for her roles in The Devil Wears Prada, Mary Poppins Returns, and Oppenheimer, has always been a solid acting talent throughout her career, cultivating a great selection of characters that the actress has played with such vigor and determination. Of course, her performance in Oppenheimer demonstrates her steely demeanor and displays her skills in playing such a juicy role in a supporting character. Thus, having Blunt play a part in The Fall Guy’s main narrative by playing the character of Jody Moreno was such a delight and it’s quite clear that she (Blunt) is having a fun time in the part. Blunt brings a solid performance, carrying a lot of scenes whenever she’s in and makes for a reliable source to bring the right amount of screen presence as well as acting prowess whenever called upon. Perhaps the small problem with the character of Jody is that she doesn’t have much development (character-wise) than Colt Seavers and sort of doesn’t have a lot to do in the first half of the feature. This definitely picks up in the latter half of The Fall Guy and has a more to do, but I would’ve liked to seeing a little bit more. Still, I felt that Blunt was great in the role and made the movie all the better for it with her performance.

Additionally, what also helps is that Gosling and Blunt have good on-screen chemistry with each other. It’s steamy and / or electrifying, but it’s quite playful with their “back-and-forth” banter / conversations that they have with each other. This clearly shows that Gosling and Blunt got along while filming The Fall Guy and this comes across beautifully in the relationship with Colt and Jody share.

Looking beyond those two characters, the movie does shine a spotlight on the role of Tom Ryder, a big-time / A-lister action star who Colt stunt doubles for, and who is played by actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron and Bullet Train). While not as strong as the characters Colt and Jody, Tom Ryder does play an integral part of The Fall Guy’s narrative, acting as the catalyst to propel the movie’s plot forward. For his part, Taylor-Johnson is great in the role and plays up the arrogance and boastful attitude that usually comes from big-time film stars that are commonly known, believing them to the “center of the universe” and not caring about anything else. Yes, it’s a walking trope of a cliché to have in the movie, but, for his part, it’s what the picture requires and Taylor-Johnson is solid in that capacity.

In the supporting character category, who actually gets the most screen time (and seems to relishing it) is actress Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso and How to Lose Friends & Alienate People), who plays the character of Gail Meyer, Tom Ryder’s producer who is overseeing Jody’s movie. While a side character throughout the movie, Waddingham plays up Gail’s dialogue moments quite well, which is filled with plenty of quips and zingers that are hilarious throughout. This is probably why she gets a lot of screen in The Fall Guy and all the better for it. Likewise, actor Winston Duke (Black Panther and Us) does provide plenty of big laughs in the role of Dan Tucker, Colt’s best friend and stunt coordinator on Metalstorm. Duke’s charisma shine through in the movie and has just the right amount of humor and laughs to make this side character amusing and fun throughout. Plus, he’s a character that loves quoting movie lines throughout the film and I loved that. The two other supporting characters, including actresses Teresea Palmer (Lights Out and I Am Number Four) and Stephanie Hsu (Joy Ride and Everything Everywhere All at Once) seem like wasted potential as Ryder’s girlfriend / co-star Iggy Star and Ryder’s personal assistant Alma Milan. Both have relatively fun and amusing introduction when they first appear on-screen and do add to the colorful flavoring of the characters / story, but they are quickly forgotten in the movie’s narrative (and in the film itself), which is disappointing. Both Palmer and Hsu are good actresses and I would’ve liked to see more from them in the movie. It just seems like waster opportunity for these two shine in.

The rest of the cast, including actor Ben Knight (Bay of Fires and The Warriors) as lead henchmen Dressler, actor Matuse (Cedar Boys and Underbelly) as drug leader Doone, actor Adam Dunn (Elvis and Drunk History: Australia) as Nigel, and actress Zara Michales (The Commons and Sleeping Dogs) as Venti Kushner are delegated to minor supporting characters in the movie. While a few have more screen time than others, I felt that this group of acting talent (as a whole) did a pretty decent job in their respective roles, despite their limited screen time, and certainly did leave a mark on the scenes that they were in.

Lastly, the movie does have a little secret Easter Egg scene at the end of the film, which occurs during the mid-credits portion. I won’t spoil it, but it was definitely pretty funny and amusing. So, be sure to still around to see.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Looking to get “back in the game” and reconnect with his former lover, Colt Seavers returns to the world of being a stuntman, but gets in way over his head when he’s tasked to find the film’s missing lead actor in the movie The Fall Guy. Director David Leitch’s latest film takes the premise of a Hollywood stuntman and mixes that into an action-comedy framework, which does benefit in some plenty “tongue and cheek” revelry and crazy action cinematics throughout. While the movie does struggle in finding a proper rhythm of balance in some key areas and becomes unfocused a tad during the latter half, the film still provides plenty of blockbuster escapism thanks to Leitch’s concept stuntman framing for the feature, the action sequences, the hilarious humor, the solid presentation, and a majority of cast, especially in Gosling and Blunt in the lead roles. Personally, I liked this movie. Yes, it wasn’t something revolutionary different or goes beyond what many were thinking about this project to be, but it was still a great and fun escape into a cinematic action-comedy endeavor. It made me laugh a lot and got me excited with all the crazy action stunts and explosion, which is great combination, as well as liking the film’s two main leads, who were fun and engaging throughout. Could there been more to the film or editing / changes made? Of course, there could’ve been, but (taking the feature at face value) it’s definitely worth the price of admission. Is it the best of Letich’s projects? Well, I still think Bullet Train was slightly better, but it comes close behind it. Thus, my recommendation for this movie would be a solid “recommended” as it’s good flick to disengage from the real world and enjoy a rather amusing action-comedy popcorn blockbuster. In the end, The Fall Guy, despite its faults, is fun and delight summer movie-esque picture that incorporates all the pizzazz and razzmatazz one would expect from a studio tentpole as well as being a personal “love letter” to the industry’s stunt community.