Directed by David Leitch, The Fall Guy follows battle-scarred stuntman Colt Seavers who, after leaving the business one year earlier, springs back into action when the star of a big studio movie directed by his ex-girlfriend suddenly disappears. As the mystery surrounding the missing actor deepens, Colt soon finds himself ensnared in a sinister plot that pushes him to the edge of a fall more dangerous than any stunt.
David Leitch has proven himself to be a surprisingly great director and producer who has been responsible for delivering several entertaining and well-crafted action films in such a short span of time. But this newest film of his caught my interest immediately from the first trailer as it not only seemed to be a highly entertaining action-rom-com but it also seemed to highlight the world of stunt work in the film industry, which has been very very underappreciated for as long as movies have existed. With all this presented I had high hopes that this film would be a surprising gem that I’d really like. After seeing it for myself I can confirm that I didn’t like it, I loved it! I really really loved it!
This action-rom-com is an epic blast of great proportions, delivering incredible amounts of fun to kick off the Summer season for films. This film has everything! Amazingly crafted action, fantastic romance, hilarious comedy, an adrenaline-fueled entertaining story, brilliant technical elements, and more importantly truly outstanding stunt work. Not only is it an awesome action-rom-com on its own but it’s also a beautiful love letter to the stunt community in the industry, as well as to all vital individuals in filmmaking in general, especially those involved in the making of blockbusters. I was expecting this film to be good but I didn’t know it was going to be this good, to the point that it has already become one of my favorite films of 2024 so far.
Let’s talk about what makes this film so awesome, starting off with the cast. Leading this film as the ultimate standouts in terms of performances are of course Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt as Colt Seavers and Jody Moreno respectively. These two were amazing individually and together as they shared such charming and electrifying chemistry that I absolutely adored from start to end. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so in love with a rom-com couple on the big screen and it is all thanks to the awesome work these two give in this wild film.
Ryan Gosling wonderfully plays the role of a veteran stuntman who both is our fun classic hopeless romantic lead and our representative for stunt crews in the film industry. Despite all the struggles he goes through, both physically and mentally, he proves himself to be a relentless hero who truly puts his body on the line despite not getting proper recognition, which perfectly symbolizes the vital yet underappreciated role stunt performers play. They are the unsung heroes of Hollywood action films and Ryan Gosling does an excellent job making that theme hit home with his lovable and hilarious performance as Colt Seavers.
Emily Blunt gives an equally lovable and hilarious performance as a passionate visionary director who represents aspiring filmmakers in the industry who wish to make their mark in Hollywood, especially when it comes to making a blockbuster. She is a fantastic love interest and partner for Gosling’s Colt but I love the fact that she is able to stand out as her own character throughout this film and truly captures the fun energy of a film director working on a big film in their vision without any interference. It didn’t feel like an actress pretending to be a director but she felt like an actual director at work making a fun blockbuster acting exactly as many other directors do both in the past and present.
The supporting cast of this film is also excellent, with each one getting their own time to shine with their performances and even some of their own action sequences.
Winston Duke plays such a fun gem of a character as stunt coordinator Dan Tucker. He gets to share great chemistry with Ryan Gosling, has hilarious comedic moments of his own, and really fun action scenes that make him a very likable presence every time he is around. Additionally, his running gag of dropping famous quotes from major films definitely made the film geek side of me laugh a lot.
We also get some fun and funny performances from actresses Hannah Waddingham, Stephanie Hsu, and even Teresa Palmer, who I have not seen on the big screen for a really long time.
We also have Aaron Taylor-Johnson delivering an absolutely brilliant performance playing the egotistical Tom Ryder. I can’t talk about his character too much due to spoilers but Aaron does a great job playing such a douchey character meant to be a parody of certain big-name action stars working in Hollywood. I do have a suspicion that Tom Ryder is meant to be a parody of a specific action star that he has some rather not-so-subtle similarities with, and if it is indeed meant to be making fun of this particular person I think it does a hilarious job doing so.
I also have to give immense praise to the stunt performers of this film who are put front and center and are shown to be just as important as the main cast along with the practical effects crew. In fact, this film makes sure their importance is known by not only having an after-credits montage of all their work behind the scenes but even gives them the honor of having all their names come first in the credits before the other crews. This is the first film to show so much appreciation for stunt performers and crew in the film industry, both in the narrative and in terms of credit, and I really loved that it did that. People who have wanted the stunt community to get better representation in a major Hollywood production finally get their wish with this film and I think they will be pleased with what they do here.
The film’s story is definitely silly and bombastic, but it’s silly and bombastic in all the best ways possible, delivering us an awesome time with endless entertainment, laughs, and adrenaline-fueled action. This film has a clever and enjoyable meta tone for film lovers and filmmakers in the writing, humor, and even the technical elements.
The theme of stunt performers and crews being the unsung heroes of the film industry is definitely the central theme through the entire film but there are a number of other themes related to romance and filmmaking that I also thought were done extremely well and give so much lovable charm to the film as a whole.
This film delivers truly awesome action in both intensely epic and visually stylish fashion as expected from David Leitch. The fight scenes are so damn satisfying to watch and even though it isn’t as bloody and brutal compared to Leitch’s other films all the punches and beatdowns thrown in this film are all real and hit hard. The heavy use of practical effects and stunt work enhances the action of this film to great heights, making this easily one of the best-crafted action films of 2024 so far with no need to rely on heavy amounts of CGI.
I will say though that despite this film’s heavy focus on practical effects there are a few instances of CGI sprinkled in here and there leading to one instance involving a CGI helicopter that I felt didn’t look all that good. Again though it’s only for a small segment in the film and it doesn’t ruin the overall visual beauty of this film that is shot incredibly well by cinematographer and frequent collaborator Jonathan Sela. This film’s stylish cinematography and editing match the film’s meta tone and dialogue, enhancing the comedic elements in the best possible ways.
When it comes to music this film features a great soundtrack but it’s the heavy yet appropriate usage of the song “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” by KISS that truly took the spotlight for playing such an integral and fun part in the film. Along with the original song, we get an awesome cover of it by Yungblud, as well as orchestral covers of the song by composer Dominic Lewis that serve as the main score of the film.
I loved this film from start to end and I think it is one of the best original action flicks I have seen in recent years that simultaneously serves as a passionate love letter for the stunt community and filmmakers in Hollywood. I highly recommend this film to anyone and everyone because this is one hell of an action-rom-com film that no one should miss. I’m going to give The Fall Guy an A+ = 98.
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