The Fall Guy is director David Leitch’s latest movie, and like most of his films, this one rocks! Leitch directed Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, and also (co-directed) the John Wick series. This latest film, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, is really a love letter to stuntmen. Gosling plays a Hollywood stuntman on a mission to find a missing movie star. If he doesn’t find the star within 48 hours, the film (which is being directed by the girl of his dreams) is going to be canceled. If he does find the missing star, Gosling’s character views this as an opportunity to reignite their relationship.
A majority of the charm of this movie comes from, of course, Ryan Gosling, who has been a hot streak recently, and I don’t see him slowing down. His roles in movies like Blade-Runner 2049, La La Land, and Barbie have set Gosling as an icon-level celebrity. And like most of Gosling’s other roles, this one is another that men around the world will say is “literally me.” Gosling shows off his comedic talent even further in this movie, and I think he’s actually funnier in this than in Barbie. While it isn’t his best role (which, for me, is in La La Land), it’s definitely up there for me. Gosling’s charisma is undeniable on screen and he pulls off the fight scenes extremely well. But out of everything he pulls off in this movie, I would say he excels the most at portraying his character’s love for Jody, played by Emily Blunt.
At its core, this movie is a love story. Everything in this plot is driven by Gosling’s character, Colt Seavers’s love for Jody. This part of the film was done very well, and they had great chemistry together. It’s clear how every decision Colt makes is influenced by Jody and it makes his character very likable. I think Leitch shines when it comes to directing these types of love-motivated character arcs, as we saw this in Deadpool 2, as well with a majority of the story focusing on Wade’s love for Vanessa.
Much like Deadpool, this movie is hilarious. While it doesn’t carry an R rating like the best of Lietch’s other films, this one still packs an equal punch. I didn’t go 5 minutes in this movie without laughing, and there was a wide variety of comedic tactics used throughout. Of course, like any good action movie, there are cheesy one-liners, but the actual majority of this movie’s comedic success comes from pure absurdity. There are so many odd moments that are so obscenely stupid, but because of the unique tone, it just works. The randomness of this movie is my favorite part by far, from multiple appearances of a unicorn to an exclusively French-speaking dog, this one has it all.
Finally, the action in this movie is very different. The movie surrounds a stuntman who doesn’t actually have any fighting experience, and going into the film, I was worried that he would just be able to fight anyway. And not to say that he doesn’t know how to throw a punch, but the fighting feels a lot more realistic than what a stuntman would be able to pull off. For example, he hits people with rubber weapons, stunt drives boats and cars, and even a gun that just shoots blanks. The fighting in this movie isn’t as played up as I thought it would be and for me, that’s a good thing. I tend to prefer action movies when they lean more into the plot and motivation than big action set pieces, which is what sets this movie apart from series like Mission Impossible or Fast & Furious.
Overall, this is probably one of the best action comedy movies I’ve seen (outside of the superhero genre) and I’ll definitely be looking for more of Lietch’s and Gosling’s movies in the future. I would rate this movie a 4.5 out of 5 and definitely recommend you go see it this weekend!
