THE FALL GUY Reviewed by GREG KING
Director: David Leitch
Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Winston Duke, Stephanie Hsu, Teresa Palmer, Lee majors, Heather Thomas, Jason Momoa.
Stunt men are the unsung heroes of action movies as they step in and double for actors during filming of key scenes. There have been a couple of films that have explored these professionals who take huge risks for the sake of entertainment, including The Stunt Man (a 1980 comedy starring Steve Railsback as a fugitive who gains work as a stunt man working on a WWI action film) and Hooper (a 1978 comedy depicting the rivalry between Burt Reynolds’ veteran stunt man and an upstart played by Jan-Michael Vincent). And there is now a push for stunt men to be recognised by the industry with an Oscar for their work.
And big, spectacular and impressively staged stunts are at the heart of The Fall Guy, a modern but loose reworking of the tv series that ran from 1981-86. The series starred Lee Majors as Colt Seavers, a stunt man who also doubled as a bounty hunter tracking down fugitives. This remake from David Leitch, a former stunt man turned director, is much more action oriented and spectacular than its source.
Ryan Gosling (La La Land, etc) steps into the role of Seavers, a stunt man who doubles for famous action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, from Kick-Ass, etc) until an onset accident leaves him badly injured. Eighteen months later he is working in a dead end job as a car park valet for a Mexican restaurant when he is lured back into the business by ruthless producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham, from Ted Lasso, etc). She convinces him to come to Sydney to work on stunts for Metalstorm, the epic big budget sci-fi movie being directed by Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt, from A Quiet Place, etc), a former camera operator and Seaver’s girlfriend who is making her directorial debut. He is again going to be performing stunts for Ryder. But there is a frosty distance between Colt and Jody when he first arrives on set as she is still bitter and angry about their breakup.
Then Ryder mysteriously goes missing and Gail pressures Colt into playing detective and trying to track him down before his absence causes the production to be shut down. But Colt learns that he is being set up as the fall guy and being framed for the murder of a fellow stuntman.
The Fall Guy has been written by Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3, etc) and uses many of the usual tropes of the action comedy genre. The plot itself is a little preposterous and serves mainly as a hook on which to hang several over the top action sequences, including some shoot outs, a boat chase around Sydney Harbour and several well choreographed fight scenes. Leitch, who has directed films including Nobody and Bullet Train, knows how to stage exciting action and he uses practical stunts where possible. The highlight is a fight in a garbage skip careening out of control through the streets of Sydney. Leitch’s regular cinematographer Jonathan Sela does a great job of capturing Sydney at its best, and it’s easy to see why many Hollywood filmmakers want to shoot Down Under. The Fall Guy is something of a love letter to the craft of the stuntmen and it gives us some tantalising glimpses as how they work behind the scenes to stage some amazing action sequences. And Pearce’s screenplay works in a number of movie in-jokes and meta references.
The Fall Guy is a fast and furiously paced generic action film but is held together by Gosling’s charm and the chemistry between him and Blunt. Gosling flexed his action hero muscles in the Netflix actioner The Gray Man and he acquits himself well in this punishing physical role. He also brings his usual charm and a self-deprecating sense of humour to the role. The chemistry between him and Blunt is also palpable and natural, and one of the strengths of this generic action film. Taylor-Johnson is good as the narcissistic Ryder. Waddingham brings a ruthless and arrogant style and a quirky energy to her role as the pushy and powerful producer. Stephanie Hsu provides some humour as frustrated production assistant Alma Milan, who holds the key to solving the mystery surrounding Ryder’s disappearance. But any opportunity to work in a satire of the film industry itself is largely squandered here.
And keep an eye out for a couple of late cameo appearances, including one from the original Fall Guy Lee Majors himself.
Shot on location around Sydney and showcases some of the iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge (which was closed for a couple of days to allow filming of a chase sequence) and the Sydney Opera House. And the film also became known for setting a world record for one of its stunts, in which stunt driver Logan Holladay performed eight cannon rolls in a car.
The Fall Guy is one big dumb popcorn action film and pure escapist fare. Suspend disbelief and leave your brain at the door and you’re sure to have a good time.
★★★
