David Leitch’s “The Fall Guy” follows famous stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) after a stunt malfunction puts his life and career on hold. When another stuntman goes missing, from a film set directed by Seavers’ ex, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), Seavers gets whisked back into the world of filmmaking with both a film and mystery on his hands.
Tone makes or breaks a movie. Sometimes directors don’t quite understand the direction of the script which can lead to questionable acting choices. The choices made by Leitch showcase an expert understanding of the world given to him by writers Drew Pearce and Glen A. Larson. Audiences won’t question a single action taken by the characters as they all make decisions that fit their personalities while pushing the story forward.
Gosling remains as charming and extraordinary as ever. He continues to prove his remarkable acting skills and will have audiences in stitches throughout the entire runtime. Gosling showcasing his comedic side will forever be Gosling at his best. His work as Seavers stands out to audiences as one of his more memorable performances, and his performance shines a light on the work stunt people do that audiences never realize.
Co-lead Blunt also does a phenomenal job as Jody. Blunt will have audiences in their feels and rooting for her the entire film as she goes from a simple assistant camera operator to a full-blown director of a film. While her performance stands on its own as the “stressed creative,” one cannot discuss her performance without mentioning the clear chemistry between her and Gosling. Every scene between the two characters makes them feel more human, allowing audiences to connect with people they typically don’t ever associate with film at face value: the crew.
The pacing of “The Fall Guy” felt smooth. Despite the two-hour runtime, the film seems to never slow down and not a single moment feels drawn out or bland. This comes down to the excellent and tight script crafted meticulously with maximum entertainment in mind. The film goes from a drugged Gosling seeing a unicorn to a car hitting him in such a fashion that the chaos of it all never causes audiences’ attention to dwindle.
Clever and comedic, the film utilizes everything from one-liners to slapstick in order to make audiences laugh. None of the jokes feel forced and all of the interactions surrounding them feel natural. One of the funniest moments comes in the form of Gosling sobbing in his car to a romance song that’ll have audiences flocking to Twitter to turn into a meme.
Obviously, it would be crazy to not discuss the main point of the film: the stunts. Each stunt looks phenomenal and will get viewers’ blood pumping every time. Everything feels carefully planned out from the fight choreography to the record-breaking cannon role performed at the beginning of the film. The fact that a film that supports the work of stunt people also consists of expertly crafted stunt work proves the care the film holds for authenticity and recognition.
“The Fall Guy,” to put it simply, stands out as a great time at the movies. Everything about it screams quality from the charming cast, the great script, the excellent directing abilities on display and, of course, the insane stunts. Audiences will love every minute of this wild, action-packed adventure following everyone’s favorite Ken.
3 ½ fire stunts out of 5
