Director: David Leitch
Writer: Glen A. Larson, Drew Pearce
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke

Movies with daring stunts have been around since film began. There have been and continue to be numerous men and women willing to risk their lives for that money shot, getting that adrenaline rush and living life on the edge, all to bring us amazing feats of strength, endurance and bravery. So, it’s about time there was a movie dedicated to them and all the amazing things they do. Loosely based on the 1980s TV show of the same name, is The Fall Guy a worthy love-letter to the wonderful stuntys, or is this one stunt that falls flat on its face?

Hollywood stunt performer Colt Seavers (Gosling) suffers an awful accident while on the set of a movie where he is the stunt double for A-list actor Tom Ryder (Johnson). It puts him out of work for a while and he distances himself from not-quite-girlfriend Jody (Blunt), a camerawoman working on the same movie. Cut to eighteen months later, and Colt finds himself back working on a film starring Tom and directed by Jody. When Tom’s producer Gail (Waddingham) enlists Colt to help her find Tom after he goes missing, Colt finds himself tangled up in a conspiracy that sees him constantly in danger trying to find Tom and simultaneously stop Jody’s movie from being pulled.

Well. This was the kind of movie that I had average expectations of, to the point where I didn’t think I’d end up writing a review. I do love to be wrong though (only when it comes to movies, mind you). This was an excellently fun film, and the stunts were truly awesome. It’s perhaps unsurprising that this movie was directed by David Leitch, he who directed stunt-heavy films such as Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2 and co-directed John Wick, as well as performed/coordinated stunts on a ton of movies. The perfect director for such a film that is chock-a-block with stunts, and they all look good. There are nods to famous stunts and middle-fingers to those who don’t think stunts are worthy of bigger accolades. There’s a great comedic tone to the movie, which I think is perhaps a testament to the stunt people who have fun with their work. For the first time in a while, I found myself laughing-out-loud during a film.

What is there really to say about the production side of the film, other than everyone did a fantastic job? The credits include a long list of people who worked on the visual effects and, of course, a long list of stunt people, including multiple doubles for Gosling. This really was a movie made by stuntys, for stuntys. They went to great lengths to have the car chases, the falling-from-heights, the out-of-control helicopter, the boat in the harbour, the explosions, the fights, all fantastically coordinated and shot. Sometimes, in action-heavy films, the stunts, particularly fights, can become arduous and lengthy, a little boring and repetitive to watch. This was not a problem for The Fall Guy. The humour injected into it and the overall spectacle of everything made it all worthwhile; it wasn’t just a couple of souped-up macho men having a go at each other, or cars racing through streets – they utilised just about every stunt possible and made something thrilling and utterly watchable.

Truthfully, I think part of the reason the film was so good was Gosling’s performance. He’s a very versatile actor, and his comic abilities have really grown throughout his career, to the point where he is rather hilarious in this film. His humour is dry, sometimes physical, sometimes understated, but he puts in probably his best comedic performance yet (and I’m going to be that person to say that while Gosling has always been standardly Hollywood-attractive, him being funny and an action man in this movie has shown him in a whole new light for me, and now I might be obsessed). Blunt is also wonderful in this movie with her own brand of comedy. She too is versatile as an actress, and although she doesn’t shine quite as much as Gosling in the comedy of this film, she does a great job of holding her own. Waddingham is excellent in her role, and Taylor-Johnson, relatively minor in his role in this film, is fine enough doing as he does. Of course, it’s the stunt men and women who really put in the performances in this movie too, and we should all thank them for their service by enjoying this film.

While The Fall Guy might not win any particular awards above visual effects and stunt awards wherever they are celebrated, it’s sure to be enjoyed immensely by fans of action films and/or comedies, and especially by those involved in the stunt world. Does it have a perfect plot? Not exactly, but that’s not why we’re watching it. It’s a tribute to and a vehicle to showcase the work of stuntys, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. Highly recommended for plenty of laughs and fantastic stunts to shock, awe and entertain you.