-Written by John Cajio.
The Fall Guy is a film that mostly does not suck. Strong chemistry between its lead actors, a fun story, killer soundtrack, and well orchestrated action sequences overcome some fairly significant pacing issues in both the first and third acts of the film. The end result is a film with a lot of heart that’s fun to watch.
Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is the long-time stuntman for well known actor Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), despite the latter claiming in all of his promos that he does his own stunts Tom Cruise-style. He falls in love with camerawoman Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) on the set of Ryder’s latest film when a stunt goes wrong, resulting in Colt being severely injured. After ghosting everyone in his life during his recovery, Colt receives a call from Tom’s producer, Gail (Hannah Waddingham), that brings him back into contact with Jody in particular. Hijinx ensues.
The chemistry between Gosling and Emily is simply off the charts. Electricity flew between them in every scene they shared, and even in a few they did not share. Jody’s emotional pain at the abrupt disconnection following Colt’s injury is palpable thanks to Blunt’s performance. There is a scene shortly after they are reunited where Jody uses her platform as the first-time director of the science fiction in-movie film, “Metalstorm,” to express her feelings publicly in a hilarious yet heartfelt tirade under the guise of providing stuntman Colt with important backstory to the space cowboy character being portrayed by Tom Ryder. It’s easy to feel Jody’s pain and anger as she describes getting into pilates to develop a “killer revenge body.” For his part, Gosling apparently had some left over Kenergy from 2023’s Barbie that he uses extremely effectively here as the brash Colt Seavers. Whenever the two of them share a scene in this film, sparks fly.
The other players in the film also turn in excellent performances. Waddingham’s Gail Meyer is a variation on the Rebecca character she portrayed extremely effectively in Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso for three seasons. She slips into Gail’s shoes very easily here. Taylor-Johnson’s Tom Ryder is delightfully chaotic. Stephanie Hsu makes the most out of her brief appearance as Tom’s assistant. Winston Duke’s Dan Tucker, “Metalstorm’s” stunt coordinator, is an effective foil for Gosling’s Colt Seavers.
There is a metaphysicality to Drew Pearce’s story that mirrors what was seen in 2022’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and it’s done effectively here. Don’t worry, I’m not spoiling anything with that statement. The metaphysicality is front and center here.
I feel compelled to comment on the in-movie film, “Metalstorm,” that Jody spends much of The Fall Guy’s 120-minute runtime trying to make. It’s meant to be a schlocky science fiction film, with elements borrowed heavily from Dune and Mad Max (especially Fury Road). A cue that sounded suspiciously similar to one of the primary themes that Hans Zimmer wrote for Dune would blast whenever they started filming a “Metalstorm” scene. I found it hilarious. I was also frequently reminded of Zack Snyder’s recent Rebel Moon films. Ironically, “Metalstorm” uses slow motion far more effectively than Rebel Moon ever did.
The soundtrack is a blast. Dominic Lewis’ score is serviceable and does not distract from the film. But the incorporation of many great rock and pop tunes from the likes of AC/DC, Taylor Swift, Kiss, The Darkness, and many more, makes this soundtrack unforgettable.
The only significant complaints concern pacing and audio mixing. At times, it seemed like Director David Leitch studied from the Christopher Nolan school of audio mixing. There were several instances when dialogue was overpowered by other audio components like music or sound effects, especially early on in the film. By the time the second act kicked in, those issues seemed to have resolved themselves (or my ears had adjusted enough to compensate).
While Pearce’s story is ultimately a fun ride, it’s not without a few unnecessary bumps. The first and third acts of the film each suffer from pacing issues and felt too long. By contrast, the second act was pretty damn terrific with nary a wasted frame.
In the end, I went into the theater hoping for more of what Leitch provided us in 2023’s Bullet Train: mindless fun that’s also pretty good. And that’s basically what we get here with The Fall Guy.
Directed by David Leitch.
Written by Drew Pearce.
Starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke, etc.
6.5/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
