When The Fall Guy, which is loosely based on the 1980 tv series of the same name, premiered at SXSW, the film was labeled as director David Leitch’s love letter to stunts. It makes sense given his continued dedication to the action genre and background as a stuntman. Plus, there are lots of people in and out of the industry lobbying for stunt performers to be recognized for major awards, so the timing is impeccable. Overall, Leitch generally achieves his goals and kicks off the summer movie season with a stunt-packed blockbuster that excels thanks to its stars and action-y moments but struggles in every other aspect.
The film follows stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) as he dodges real bullets and danger after he becomes ensnared in some shady business while searching for the missing action star he doubles for. The mere premise of a stunt guy, who’s typically stuck in the background, being thrust into the heroic spotlight perfectly fits Leitch’s intentions of making the film an ode to the stunts side of filmmaking. However, this homage acts as a bigger part of the film’s DNA.
Colt gives the stunt community a voice and perspective right in his opening monologue. There’s an opening compilation of iconic stunt scenes from various films—including Leitch’s own films. The film really evokes how undervalued stunt performers are in Hollywood—both in how Colt is maligned by higher-ups and treated as an underdog hero. It’s incredibly fun to see prop weapons used in big fight sequences. Leitch even throws in a little dig at VFX over practical stunts. There’s also a nice montage during the end credits of how the stunts performed in the film were done—which makes it worth staying in your seats just a little longer.
When it comes to the stunts themselves, Leitch delivers a varied batch that embodies classic Hollywood action. From big car chases with jaw-dropping jumps and explosions to hand-to-hand combat that’ll leave you smiling, Leitch shows why he’s a notable name in modern action. It’s honestly a nice little compilation of his career to a degree and, at the very least, Leitch ensures that The Fall Guy is an action-packed popcorn flick. The energy remains high when Colt is on the run and the film’s humor neatly fits between action beats to deliver a fair amount of laughs.
Unfortunately, Leitch doesn’t go all-out with The Fall Guy to make it a complete, unabashed celebration of this overshadowed aspect of film. In essence, Leitch could’ve done for stunts what Wes Craven did for horror with Scream — create an immersive experience that highlights stunts and its performers in a meaningful way. The Fall Guy could’ve been a gateway for people to care about stunts and turn it from being niche to top of mind. It would’ve been amazing to hear Colt and other characters talk about the mechanics of stunts or break down how other legendary stunts were done. Even just watching these characters swap stories that touch on other famous stunt people or juicy rumors/moments behind the scenes would’ve been such a draw and given the film a greater identity.
Personally, for a film that’s labeled as a “love letter” to stunts, it really misses the mark in really giving the stunt community their moment. Instead, The Fall Guy is clogged up with generic meta moviemaking moments and writing that hits the most basic blockbuster beats. The film constantly goes out of its way to be meta, like having a split-screen dialogue exchange while Colt’s love interest/director Jody (Emily Blunt) debates whether to use split screen in her film. Its attempts are so blatant at times, it’s almost like the movie is being written in front of you, but in an unsatisfying way. There’s nothing all that clever about how the film approaches its meta storytelling and it often hinders its ability to come off original. Thus, The Fall Guy is simply another movie about movies that lacks the focus or nuance to leave a real impact.
Frankly, the story itself isn’t much better. Aside from some fun stuff with the villain reveals, there’s nothing that makes Colt’s journey in The Fall Guy memorable. He goes through a pretty typical underdog hero’s story arc and the different situations he deals with have underwhelming conclusions. Even worse, the film’s pacing is all over the place and makes the experience an eventual drag. The film doesn’t really pick up until the more actiony middle and then suddenly overcomplicates itself with a final act that never seems to want to end. It just keeps throwing stuff at the wall hoping audiences will stick around but it comes off desperate to impress—which it struggles to do.
The big saving grace The Fall Guy can hang its hat on though is Gosling and Blunt, because their chemistry is a constant treat. Gosling continues to develop himself as a charming crowd-pleaser through Colt’s undeniable likability as a grounded hero and brings the type of comedic and action chops to make for a fun time at the movies. Blunt is equally as fun and brings a surprising action presence of her own that leads to a funny confrontation between her and Colt. Together, they’re a knockout pair that brings the emotional, hilarious, and romantic chemistry that audiences are always thrilled to see. Every scene with them together just talking is so connective and real, and their dynamic is a key reason the film stays interesting.
Gosling, Blunt, and Leitch’s action pedigree save The Fall Guy from being worse than it could’ve been. But it’s not enough to make it anything more than disappointing. It never reaches its potential to truly make this THE stunts celebration for the ages and falls into typical genre trappings that keep it as a fine, but unremarkable summer blockbuster.
