The Fall Guy Review

Considering how integral they’ve been to the film industry since day dot, as they risk life and limb for our entertainment on a daily basis, it’s frankly ridiculous that, here we are in the year 2024, and there’s still little sign that the Oscars are willing to show stunt men, women, and coordinators the recognition they so sorely deserve.

Maybe it’s snobbery. Maybe it’s stubbornness. Maybe it’s just pure carelessness. Whatever the exact reasons, the fact remains that this reluctance to acknowledge the stunt world, despite everything it’s given to the film industry over the years, is far from a good look and needs to stop.

And if any film is finally going to put a stop to this foolishness, it’s this one.

After leaving the business a year earlier, battle-scarred stuntman, Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), springs back into action when the star of a mega-budget movie – directed by his ex, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) – suddenly disappears. While the film’s ruthless producer (Hannah Waddingham) manoeuvres to keep this disappearance a secret, Colt performs the film’s stunts while attempting to charm his way back into Jody’s good graces. As the mystery surrounding the missing actor deepens, Colt soon finds himself ensnared in a sinister plot that pushes him to the edge of a fall more dangerous than any stunt he’s ever performed.

There’s no getting away from it, delightful though it may be, The Fall Guy, by its very essence, is decidedly old-fashioned. Of course, the fact that it’s a remake of an 80s television show is enough to back this up on its own, yet there’s so much more going on with The Fall Guy to give it its quaintly archaic aura.

Big romantic, star-studded blockbusters are certainly few and far between these days, so the very fact that we’re getting something like The Fall Guy as a full-blown theatrical release is truly something to celebrate. Whether or not there’s a valid reason to the fact that we don’t get these kinds of cinematic releases anymore, we’ll have to wait and see, however, as things stand, the film’s presence in cinemas must be considered a win.

From start to finish, The Fall Guy is a breath of fresh air. Riding high on a comforting cocktail of laughs, romance, high action hijinks, and an endearing brand of heartfelt honesty, David Leitch’s film is an absolute blast and exactly the kind of fun-loving, carefree blockbuster we all need in our lives right now.

With charm, charisma, and chemistry for days, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are pure, unfiltered joy and precisely the kind of dream lead pairing that should, if there’s any justice in the world, shoot this film to the moon.

Fresh from starring on opposing sides of the Barbenheimer phenomenon, it’s hard to imagine a hotter onscreen pairing than Gosling and Blunt right now, and The Fall Guy capitalises on the magic of this sizzling duet perfectly, giving them ample time and space to find their groove with one another, before lighting the fuse and letting them fly. The result, despite large chunks of the plot apart from one another, is a simmering chemistry and the kind of authentic romance you rarely see from any big-budget Hollywood blockbuster these days.

Cosy, casual, and impossibly cute, the pair’s dialogue with one another is an absolute delight, coaxing you into Colt and Jody’s relationship before keeping you locked in for the ride. Snappy and witty but positively smouldering with romantic tension, Drew Pearce’s script works extremely well, offering just the right level of rom-com schmaltz without ever overplaying it, and despite the odd mark missed with the comedy, there’s more than enough there to keep us hooked.

Of the two, there’s little doubt that Gosling gets the lion’s share of the screen time, meaning that the film’s balance does often feel a little lopsided, however, when the man is on this kind of form, the disparity is difficult to begrudge. While he’s not quite hitting the comedy heights he reached with The Nice Guys or even Barbie, Gosling is nevertheless at the top of his game, delivering lines with laser-guided precision, while frequently channelling his inner goofball as he leans all the way into the film’s inherent physical comedy.

Alongside him, Emily Blunt’s role is far less prominent, yet every bit as charming, as she injects more heart into The Fall Guy than there would otherwise be. While Gosling’s Colt is busy throwing himself off buildings and getting caught up in wild car chases, Blunt’s Jody is keeping the plot together and the film’s emotional core intact, even striking up a nice little secondary relationship with Hannah Waddingham, a standout from the extended cast.

As a collective, the cast understand the assignment perfectly, with everyone very much game for the full-bodied, frequently silly shenanigans, and whether it’s our leads, or the assorted fringe players in the ensemble like Hannah Waddingham, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Stephanie Hsu, and Winston Duke, everyone does a remarkable job keeping the energy up and managing to carry the film through even its wobbliest moments.

And, make no mistake, these wobbly moments do come. For all its fun-filled action and rollicking romantic charms, The Fall Guy does indeed stumble over itself on occasion.

Whether it’s the plot struggling to keep up with the speed and ferocity of the action, or the comedy not quite landing in places, the film never truly hits the heady heights it frequently promises. Which is a huge shame, because The Fall Guy has all the tools to be a certified classic, however, there’s constantly something holding it back from greatness.

That said, despite its issues, when The Fall Guy flies, it really flies, and with one of the premiere action directors in the game behind the wheel, it’s nigh on unstoppable when at top speed. While the chemistry between its stars is undoubtedly The Fall Guy’s biggest selling point, the film’s action and stunt deployment are a crucial part of the package.

From start to finish, there’s a clear love for action oozing out of every one of The Fall Guy’s pours, and with stuntman-turned-director David Leitch helming things, such passion is unsurprising. From John Wick to Bullet Train via Atomic Blonde and Deadpool 2, there are few directors in the game that have their finger on the pulse of the modern action movie than David Leitch, and his handle on the genre’s craft comes through loud and clear here.

Stuffed with explosions, car chases, fistfights, cannon rolls, daredevil dives, and even more explosions, The Fall Guy’s stunt-laden action is as big and as bold as it gets, and while there’s undoubtedly CGI in the mix somewhere, Leitch ensures it’s all as tactile and tangible as possible. Considering the director’s background and the very mechanics of the film’s high concept plot, none of this should come as any surprise – a factor that, in many ways, makes it all the more enjoyable.

Predictable though it all may be, this safeness is actually a huge part of The Fall Guy’s appeal. It all feels very innocuous and familiar in the way you’d expect a remake of a Lee Majors-starring 80s television show to be, yet there’s a real comfort in such familiarity and in the satisfaction guarantee of the action that you sometimes need from a big old summer blockbuster; and it’s one that should hopefully help the film land with audiences of all shapes and sizes.

Despite its clear plot and script issues, The Fall Guy is the kind of silly, heart-felt, smile-inducing, popcorn-guzzling comfort watch blockbusters were made for. In a world as frequently dark and cold as this one, escapist cinema is as important now as it has ever been, and you won’t find many bigger, more endearing escapes than what Gosling, Blunt, and Leitch have delivered here. One that may finally give stunt people the awards recognition they so sorely deserve.

Riding high on a chaotic yet cosy blend of laughs, romance, and high action hijinks, The Fall Guy really is the fun-loving, carefree, action-packed blockbuster we all need in our lives right now. With charm and chemistry for days, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are a dream pairing for what is a wild, ridiculous, wildly entertaining thrill ride. Now where’s that spicy margarita I ordered?