‘The Fall Guy’ review: Dir. David Leitch (2024)

Do you feel that? The sun’s heat prickles on your skin, the evenings getting lighter, while the faint smells of sunscreen, ice creams and fruity cider trickle into the air. It can only mean one thing: summer is nearly here, and for every movie fan, that is always an exciting time: the movies get bigger. The multiplexes offer an air-conditioned escape, or the ideal late-evening meeting point after a day of enjoying the sunshine. Summer tentpoles are a special breed of movie when they hit their mark, and one of the first out of the gate for 2024 is David Leitch’s The Fall Guy, and it has set quite the benchmark. 

Ryan Gosling stars as Colt Seavers, an ace Hollywood stuntman who is falling head over heels for camera operator Jody (Emily Blunt). But after a stunt goes wrong, Colt shuts himself away and buries his head in the sand, leaving both the movies and Jody behind. Smash cut to 18 months later, and the down-on-his-luck Colt needs a pick me up, which comes in the form of an invite to join the stunt team of a huge new blockbuster, which also happens to be Jody’s directorial debut. However, it soon turns out that Colt is really there to hunt for the movie’s leading man – the petulant and arrogant Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) – who has gone missing after getting embroiled in some shady going’s-on off-set. Putting all his stunt skills to use, Cotl heads out to find Ryder and save Jody’s movie – and maybe even repair their relationship along the way. 

Based on the 1980s Lee Majors TV show, Leitch with Drew Pearce’s screenplay has managed to take that central concept – a stuntman going on missions of the week – and mine it for something which both works as a crowd-pleasing blockbuster and a heartfelt love letter to the many stunt people behind the scenes, the unsung heroes of the Hollywood blockbuster machine. With its light, breezy and comedic tone, The Fall Guy comes across as one of those rare four-quadrant tent poles that genuinely feels like it has something for everyone.

There’s the action, which comes thick and fast throughout, be it moments of creating stunts on set for the movie-within-a-movie – Metalstorm, (would watch) – and the scuffles and tight corners Colt finds himself in as he tries to locate Ryder. The film is always at its strongest when in the realm of a movie set, as there’s a lot of joy in revelling in the details of how such sequences are put together resulting in the thrills you see on the big screen. The more overt action set pieces still rock, with a good sense of geography and tactility, well assembled by director/ex-stuntman Leitch and his exceptional team, but there;s less that feels fresh and inventive about them. They do however make great use of the film’s Sydney locations, giving it a bit of a visual identity that separates it from other US-based or broader globe-trotting adventures. 

But the film is often at its best when focusing on the romance at its centre and how the action speaks to that relationship. There’s a wonderful sequence of a repeated set up for a stunt that is being used as the vessel for Colt and Jodie to address their feelings over his disappearing act following his injury. It speaks to what this film gets so right; it’s funny without being snarky, there’s a genuine sense of emotion, and the chemistry from the two stars is simply wonderful to sit in. Part of the reason the hunt for Ryder threads of the plot don’t quite fly as well is because it’s keeping the two stars away from each other. Gosling’s bruised puppy dog hero is sweet and surprisingly relatable and Blunt’s enthusiastic yet slightly flustered energy works wonders. The two stars feel effortless here and are so damn charming that you can’t wait until you’re hanging out with both of them again.

There’s definitely some nits to pick. Like many blockbusters of its kind in the modern era, the story doesn’t quite have enough gas in its tank to sustain its runtime, with the convoluted plot robbing the build up to the final act of the well established energy and momentum previously found within. It is also a little lacking when it comes to a central villain, even if the way things unfold lead to a surprisingly scathing look at the Hollywood film industry and celebrity culture in ways that are quite welcome/. There’s just the sense that it’s falling short of true action movie greatness by falling short on the villain front. 
The Fall Guy feels like the summer movie equivalent of getting nice and tipsy in the park on a nice sunny day. It’s just the thing you want to go see with your pals on a Friday night and kick back after a long week offering suns-soaked action and attractive movie stars at the top of their game doing their thing. It knows how to put a smile on your face, be it with a silly gag, a thrilling fight scene, a sweet romantic grace note or an infectious love for movie-making that runs through its veins.

The Fall Guy is released in cinemas on 2nd May.