The Fall Guy a movie that pays homage to the unrecognized heroes of the movie industry, stunt performers, the movie not only seem entertaining with all its action sequences as expected but also funny through out the entire story.
The film is inspired by the successful 1980s television series created by Glen A. Larson of the same name, The Fall Guy, a story about a stunt performer who did everything to entertain the public, flying through the air, getting shot, thrown through windows, and tossed from heights. This stuntman, named Colt Seavers, set aside his work as a stunt performer due to an accident that almost ended his career, a year later, Colt decides to return to his stunts when he is offered to participate in a new movie directed by his ex, Jody Moreno, a film that they are secretly shooting because the main star has disappeared.
Colt decides to return and performs the most extravagant action scenes while trying to regain the trust of his beloved Jody, as the studio tries to keep the mysterious disappearance of their star a secret but what Colt does not know is that he will be caught in a sinister criminal plot that will take him to the edge of a fall more dangerous than any stunt he has done before.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18177528/
- Platform: Theaters
- Release: May 3, 2024
Director David Leitch: Master of Action
The director of The Fall Guy is David Leitch, who has directed many well known movies just to start mention one of his last works he brought us the 2022 movie Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt. Leitch began his career as a stunt performer and coordinator, which is evident in his very detailed attention to action sequences but his directorial debut was the action movie John Wick making him a great addition considering his background as stunt man, which he co directed with Chad Stahelski, although he was not credited as co director but as a producer.
To mention some of Leitch’s works include other action movies like Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, open his IMDB Profile and you wont get a lot of movies as director but they all have reputable scores. Leitch’s experience in stunts gives him a perspective that can add authenticity to The Fall Guy, and he is characterized by combining high risk action with character centered storytelling, which is ideal for this movie that celebrates the art of stunt work.
The Star-Studded Cast of The Fall Guy
Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers, an experienced stunt performer who is going through the challenges of his profession while starting a new personal quest once he decided to get back on the horse and not only a come back but also work with his ex. Gosling is known for his roles in La La Land and Drive, and recently as Ken in the Barbie movie so his face is very fresh for average viewers with the extreme success that Barbie had, braking records like the trailer with the most views in the first 24hrs for WB, Ryan has experience on both action and drama, which makes him blend well with the character of Colt.
Emily Blunt plays Jody Moreno, Colt’s ex-girlfriend and a first-time director, Emily is known for her performances in A Quiet Place and Edge of Tomorrow which has been teasing with a sequel it would be awesome to see her play that role again where she in fact goes through a lot of action sequences; and The Girl on the Train, some of her recent work includes a critically acclaimed performance in Oppenheimer as Kitty Oppenheimer, she was key during Oppenheimer trial scenes .
The supporting cast includes Winston Duke, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, and Stephanie Hsu. Duke is known for Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, Taylor Johnson is recognized from Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Stephanie Hsu is known for her role as Joy in Everything Everywhere All at Once, it seems that the movie focus on Jody and Colt but at the same time having quite an amount of supporting actors but all going through the same story time line.
A Tribute to Stunt Work and Movie Stars
The Fall Guy is more than an action movie; it’s a tribute to the golden era of stunt work in Hollywood, the film reflects a time when stunt performers were crucial to the success of a movie and celebrates the skill, bravery, and artistic work of stunt performers, often overlooked in the industry, without them great action movies like most recent John Wick or the upcoming Dead Pool & Wolverine would not be possible.
The film also explores the theme of redemption and the personal struggles of its characters, with Colt going through a bad patch on his carrier and then his Ex giving him a chance as a professional stunt man to bounce back making it a well rounded story that appeals to the viewers, over all we will have a bit of everything from drama, laughs and a lot of action the perfect combination to keep you glue to the seat, adding up the movie is 2hrs long making it the good length so the audience doesn't get exhausted but still feel they going deep into the story too.
Online Reception and Reviews
No significant controversies related to its production or content have been reported. The film premiered on March 12 at the SXSW Film Festival, where it generated mixed reviews and opinions, focusing mainly on the execution of the movie and the public’s expectations.
The praise received was for the chemistry between the main actors and the action sequences, Ryan Gosling has done action movies in the past but probably not as intense as The Fall Guy with constant action scenes one after another, with his success on Barbie this could be the time that catapult him as a figure or icon for further intense action sequence movies. There will be critics and some negative reviews, among the negatives some critics pointed out that the movie has a scattered script, all over the place and tries to address many themes at once, resulting in a confusing story, but different that critics opinion it has been well received in terms of entertainment and performances, with a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
To be honest this movie really remind me to the Thor movies where you have a lot of action going hand by hand with a ton of jokes, this often has a limit where it loose its effect and might turn the audience against the movie. Another point worth mentioning is that during the movie its possible that looking down at the stunt man might turn boring too, for example saying like "I'm just a stunt man..." or "You are the stunt man no body going to notice you are missing..." the constant repetition of how meaningful the stunt man is to the movie could cause some negative reaction.
I personally notice how the character of Colt starts to probably believe he is a action hero, when he starts looking for the missing star of the movie he is working for he gets involve into a series of fight scenes against shady people looking after Tom Ryder, the star of the movie Colt working on; Colt suddenly starts to fight them back and get his ass kicked so as a stunt man he is not too far from all the sudden brings all that action into real life fight with the exception that this time he could get hurt badly.
The Fall Guy does seem to have a good combination of themes, romance, drama, action, bit of mystery to keep the audience entertain and probably turn this movie into a solid 8, I see Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt as a good combination for this production, in the few romantic scenes from the trailer did look natural and not exaggerated or cringe, I personally have high expectations for this movie.
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