The Fall Guy – Film Review
by Fran Winston

Directed by: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke.

This remake may have the same name, titular character and job as the Lee Majors’ TV show from the 1980s but that is pretty much where the similarities end. Major’s Colt Seavers was a stuntman with a side hustle as a bounty hunter, accompanied by stunt woman Jody Banks (Heather Thomas) and his naïve cousin Howie Munson (Douglas Barr).

Here Gosling is also a stuntman, without the side hustle, who is hopelessly in love with camera woman Jody Moreno (Blunt). However, after he has an accident on set which sees him break his back their romance turns sour as he wallows in a pity party for one. Fast forward 18 months and a down on his luck Colt gets a call from producer Gail Meyer (Waddingham) who tells him Jody wants him to work on her directorial debut. After travelling to Australia it becomes clear that she was unaware he had been hired and that Gail has an alterior motive as she wants Colt to find the writer of the movie who has gone AWOL. As he goes in search of the missing scribe it becomes clear that there is far more at stake for Hannah than she let on as her leading man, action star Tom Ryder (Taylor-Johnson) is in some serious trouble.

Bond in waiting Taylor-Johnson and director Leitch previously worked together on Bullet Train and here he is once again playing a character with an arrogant sense of superiority. It works as a foil to Gosling’s more sensitive Colt. However, it feels like an odd choice of role for the star if he is indeed stepping into the secret agent’s shoes as the character is extremely unlikeable.

Gosling and Blunt have great chemistry and bounce off each other well. Leitch takes great care to highlight the nuances of their relationship that may go unmissed by some but illustrate his attention to detail. Meanwhile, Waddingham is terrifically over the top as the neurotic power-hungry Gail. A special mention must also go to Jean-Claude – a canine actor who only understands commands in French.

As a stunt performer himself, this feels like a perfect vehicle for Leitch and the stunts are indeed spectacular. Movie nerds will also enjoy the behind-the-scenes insights into how these huge set pieces are put together. This is meta to the max.

Yet for all that, it still feels like it is lacking something. It is harmless fun and individual elements work, but it never feels tied together, and the overriding plot is unnecessarily complex. It is enjoyable but overshadowed by all the stunts and explosions. That said, it is a perfect popcorn movie that needs to be seen on the big screen to truly appreciate all the set pieces.