We celebrate the headliners because they look hot and dusty walking away from that explosion. But here’s a little secret: it’s all fake. The cat’s out of the bag! That sexy smoulder? Lighting. That swagger? Creative angles. Unless your name is Henry Cavill and it’s a dedicated day on The Witcher set, even the grime has been painted on for dramatic effect. The most genuine part of an action movie isn’t the face on the poster; it’s their back. That mop of hair, those hunched shoulders, their heals popped for action. Stunt people are the real action stars and The Fall Guy exists to teach this lesson. We’ve seen stunt movies made by stunt people before, but The Fall Guy, also directed by a career stuntman, is designed to put theses professionals in the foreground and practically begs the audience to spot Ryan Gosling’s doubles – which in some scenes isn’t much of a challenge. Unless your headliner is Tom Cruise, the guy taking the fall is most likely a contusion specialist and it’s about time we had a
movie that celebrates their total lack of survival instincts.
Taking hits and looking cool is all Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) wants if it puts a smile on Jody’s (Emily Blunt) beautiful face. Colt and Jody are enjoying a not-so-secret office romance until a stunt goes horribly wrong and knocks Colt out of the game. Flash forward 18 months and Colt’s body has recovered back to Chippendale-fresh-from-the-sauna form even if his confidence is permanently rattled. His lifeline comes in the form of a call from Gail (Hannah Waddingham), his actor double’s agent and producer. Jody, it seems, caught her directing big break making a film that is absolutely NOT Mad Max, and she needs a stuntman to land her action scenes. Like a dog to a frisbee, Colt B-lines it to Australia and reports to Jody’s set practically before Gail hangs up the phone. But a few things are not as they seem. First, Jody isn’t thrilled to see the guy who committed too hard to his near-death experience and ghosted her for a year, and second, the film’s star and Colt’s professional shadow,
Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), has gone missing. To save Jody’s film and hopefully their flatlined relationship, Colt sacrifices cup after cup of jetlag-defying coffee to track Ryder down and show Jody that he still cares.
Is this a love story, an action saga, or a comedy on cocaine? Yes. The Fall Guy starts by breaking the throttle and we speed forward, with wanton abandon, until well after the credits start rolling. Pyrotechnics go off simply because it looks cool, car crashes take five extra rollovers because they can, characters don alien prosthetics in casual conversation because it’s hilarious, and villainous goons pop out of nowhere to ruin Colt’s day because we’ll forget to ask why as soon as the punches fly. Go for the throat! Everyone, and I mean everyone, gets in
on the action. Paid extras, executives, love interests, dog walkers, even the dogs themselves have an opportunity to chase someone down and chomp some nuts. The Fall Guy is like a monster truck rally starring your favourite A-listers. What. Is. Not. To. Like?
This is where I typically say that without Gosling and Blunt, The Fall Guy would be nothing, and true, they are fantastic. Excellent timing, chemistry, dedication, and pizzaz. But it’s wrong to attribute The Fall Guy to them exclusively. When I say this is a stunt movie made for and by stunt people, I mean it. Nearly every scene has a trained professional taking a bruise. Even casual conversations end up with someone getting flipped over a railing or stabbed. The Fall Guy wastes no opportunities, not a single one, to add more action. Would that scene still make sense if someone was on fire? If yes, light him up. If no, rewrite the scene.
I cannot overstate how actiony this action movie is. Black Friday rushes look like brunch at Nana’s next to The Fall Guy. But it also slips a few things in that are delightfully unexpected. Most obviously, the number of women in power. Blunt and Waddingham play director and producer respectively and both are fit, can-take-a-punch women at the top of their field. What’s best is that this non-traditional hierarchy is simply fact. Only once, and only by the villain [whom we hate and therefore discount everything they say], does the film point out that two women occupy positions of authority. That’s the trick, Hollywood. That’s how to lay an equal playing field without looking like you did it for points… But also yes please to Ryan Gosling (and his stunt doubles) pounding the shit out of his opponents with whatever prop is within reach.
This movie cracked me up. The humour is
very similar to Free Guy but The Fall Guy lands the ending without pushing the ridiculous too far. The stunt sequences are over-the-top entertaining and will have you appreciating the crew as much as their beautiful co-stars. The Fall Guy is fast, silly, heart-pounding, and a beautiful homage to the skill that goes into taking a hit. The whole family will be asking mom to drive faster on the way home. The Fall Guy is a riotous 8/10.
Plenty of Popcorn 