A down-and-out stuntman must find the missing star of his ex-girlfriend's blockbuster film. As someone who worked on Expendables 4, an action movie also directed by former stuntman Scott Waugh, I guess I can say I have some idea of the responsibility that stuntmen in Hollywood have. They are oftentimes not given the credit they deserve and are almost always overshadowed by the celebrity actor who they’re body doubling for. Based on the 1981 Lee Majors series of the same name, David Leitch’s The Fall Guy is packed with hard hitting action, real stunts, romance, and lots of comedy that had me laughing out loud on many occasions. I have always been a fan of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt and they are both terrific here, with natural chemistry with one another. Gosling pulls off the laid back zero F’s given “ex” stuntman persona with ease, turning just about every single dialogue exchange he has with other characters into opportunities for comedic moments. This checks the box of yet another Ryan Gosling role in which he plays a character with a confident persona on the outside, but plenty of insecurities within. Emily Blunt is just as great as Gosling here, playing the deadpan Jody, a director of a sci-fi blockbuster who used to have a fling with Gosling’s Colt Seavers and is now reluctantly united with him on the film set of “Metal Storm 2.”
With director David Leitch being a former stuntman himself, he puts a real emphasis through the character of Colt not just on the liability aspects, but also the severe lack of recognition that these hardworking men and women get for literally throwing themselves in harms way for the purpose of entertainment. Aaron Taylor Johnson works perfectly as Tom Ryder, a completely douchy famous A-list actor who Colt performs stunts for. Johnson emulates all of the cliches attributed to real life actors in Hollywood who are notoriously way too full of themselves and don’t care about the consequences of their actions. Winston Duke never disappoints, and he steals every scene he is in as a stunt coordinator who befriends Colt. Leitch somehow manages to find a way to display action and stunts from both a behind the scenes standpoint along with rendered footage from this made up Metal Storm movie. Not only that, but in one particular scene involving psychedelic drugs, Leitch takes full advantage of utilizing trippy visuals and real stunt work to make for a delightful and hilarious fight sequence in a club. The fact that these stunts are actually real and not reliant on a hodgepodge of CGI to mask it makes the experience all the more exciting and sometimes nerve racking. You feel every fall, car crash, and explosion like a bludgeon to the head. Kudos, Mr. Leitch.
The soundtrack is a great mix of classic rock and roll, with “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by KISS as the film’s main theme. Apparently, Gene Simmons has previously stated that he HATES that song, but he can’t hate it THAT much if we are only in May and there are already two major blockbuster movies this year featuring the song (first being Godzilla X Kong: A New Empire). Where the movie struggles a bit is in its overlong runtime, a few too many drawn out scenes, and a convoluted murder mystery plot. Running at two hours and five minutes, I would say that about 15-20 minutes could have been trimmed to make for tighter pacing and a tad less redundantly cheesy dialogue. Yes, the chemistry between Blunt and Gosling is very charming, but there are a couple of moments where there’s a funny joke that lands, but the scene keeps going when it should’ve ended. An hour forty five minutes would have been perfect. Now that I mention it, the murder mystery/conspiracy plot is convoluted and confusing, but what’s great is that this flaw is acknowledged by the characters in the movie in a self referential manner. Doesn’t excuse the messiness of it, but at least Leitch and the cast are self aware of this cliche.
Aside from those issues, The Fall Guy is loads of lighthearted fun and will make for an enjoyable date night experience for both guys and girls. Be sure to stay seated once the credits roll because a pivotal loose end is tied up during the middle portion of the credits. Also, you’ll be able to see some behind the scenes of how they did these insanely dangerous stunts, so yeah, show your appreciation for the incredible work that stuntmen do. Overall, in spite of being a tad overlong and sometimes getting too wrapped up in its plot, David Leitch’s The Fall Guy is both a hilariously action packed rom-com with charming performances from Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt and also a passionate love letter to how stunt performers really are the unsung heroes of major Hollywood movies.
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