Summary
A high-octane action film that doesn’t mind poking fun at high-octane action flicks while paying tribute to the stunt people that make it happen.
From his uncredited co-directorial debut on John Wick through to Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and Bullet Train, director David Leitch has solidified his reputation of modern action. So, with THE FALL GUY, he and writer Drew Pearce aim to both deconstruct and poke fun at the whole enterprise – and have a ball doing so.
In the film, Hollywood stunt performer Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is doubling for megastar Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) when a stunt goes horribly wrong. During Colt’s recovery, he blames himself for the accident and breaks off all contact with his girlfriend Jody (Emily Blunt), a camera operator.
Over a year and a half later, Colt is surprised to find himself summoned by Ryder’s producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) to Sydney, where Jody is making her directorial debut on a new sci-fi event picture starring Ryder. Against the backdrop of a fractious relationship between Jody and Cole, it transpires that Ryder has gone missing – and Gail wants Cole to track him down.
While loosely based on the 1980s TV series with Lee Majors, in which the lead was a kind of bounty hunter, this version of THE FALL GUY most reminds me of a Shane Black joint. It’s a self-referential parody of the film industry, led by an affably beleaguered Gosling, while also being a massive love letter to stunt performers. It’s not quite the Academy Award category they deserve – but it will do while we’re waiting.
The action is impressive, especially when much of it takes place on the street where I regularly pop out to grab lunch or a bottle of fizzy water for afternoon tea. (It was the same feeling all Sydneysiders had back in 1999 with The Matrix, except we actually get on-screen credit this time). The latter culminates in the highly reported chase across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, one that shut down the iconic landmark for several hours. I wonder if they still had to pay the toll on the way back?
Cinematographer Jonathan Sela captures all the obligatory postcard shots of Sydney, including the Opera House in both the film’s reality and Metalstorm, the film within a film. Speaking of which, the scenes we see from the faux film are impressively scaled, almost to the point that we’d actually like to see that film play out as well.
Perhaps the only thing counting against Leitch’s film is that it ultimately paints itself into a corner with its own high concept. Even with the best intentions, being this self-aware often means relying on the familiar tropes it’s skewering. Despite the Antipodean setting, this is very much a Hollywood production — and at times it feels like it could have been made anywhere at any time in the last forty years. If you don’t see the ultimate villain and resolution coming, you probably need to see more movies. To quote Steve Martin in Grand Canyon, all of life’s riddles are answered in the movies.
Nevertheless, from the Miami Vice-inspired chases across Sydney Harbour to the record making barrel rolls, it’s hard to describe THE FALL GUY as anything less than fun. As the credits roll over shots of the real-life stunt team who helped bring this to life, you’ll unquestionably have a deeper appreciation for the people who make the stars look good – and maybe that’s enough.
2024 | USA | DIRECTOR: David Leitch | WRITERS: Drew Pearce | CAST: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke | DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures | RUNNING TIME: 126 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 26 April 2024 (Australia), 3 May 2024 (USA)
