The Fall Guy (12A)

Veteran stuntman Colt Seavers abruptly severs ties with the film industry after breaking his back while performing a daredevil fall in place of Hollywood action star Tom Ryder. Out of the blue, film executive Gail Meyer phones Colt and implores him to get on an airplane to Australia to double for Ryder in the bombastic sci-fi epic Metalstorm. The film is dangerously over budget, behind schedule and just happens to be the directorial debut of Colt's old flame Jody Moreno.

LondonNet Film Review

The Fall Guy (12A) Film Review from LondonNet

I have fond childhood memories from the early 1980s of the rough-and-tumble TV show The Fall Guy starring Lee Majors as a revered film stuntman, who side hustles as a bounty hunter using the daredevil skills he has honed in front of a camera. Stunt performer turned director David Leitch’s crowd-pleasing action comedy pays tribute to the TV series and the wider community of gifted action artists who take body blows for big-name actors but publicly receive none of the credit for their bone-crunching work…

The Barbenheimer rivalry of last summer is laid to rest with the delightfully kenergetic on-screen double-act of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt as estranged former lovers, who realise pride and bruised egos come before a trust and fall back into each other’s arms. Screenwriter Drew Pearce keeps the duo apart for prolonged periods, which is a misstep, and he peppers the script with in-jokes about Hollywood and its profit-driven practices, particularly in the irreverent depiction of a fictional action star whose list of high-octane credits includes Hot Earth, Silence Day, Annihilation Of Valour and Bad Cop, Good Dog.

Stunts are breathtaking, such as performer Logan Holladay’s world record-breaking 8.5 cannon rolls in a car and a dizzying fight inside a spinning metal skip that is being dragged behind a lorry through the streets of Sydney. Gosling bravely falls backwards 12 storeys in the bravura opening sequence, shot in a single take to shepherd us through the organised chaos of a movie set. He plays veteran stuntman Colt Seavers, who abruptly severs ties with the film industry after breaking his back while performing a daredevil fall in place of Hollywood action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). The near-fatal accidental, which Colt insists was his fault, also sounds a death knell for an on-set romance with one of the film’s camera operators, Jody Moreno (Blunt).

Out of the blue, film executive Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham), who produces Ryder’s blockbusters, phones Colt and implores him to get on an airplane to Australia to double for her arrogant star in the bombastic sci-fi epic Metalstorm. The film is dangerously over budget, behind schedule and just happens to be Jody’s directorial debut. Working alongside good friend and action choreographer Dan Tucker (Winston Duke), Colt turns the film’s fortunes around with his heroic efforts. “Save Jody’s film and maybe you get the love of your life back,” teasingly suggests Gail.

The Fall Guy is a slave to two demanding masters (adrenaline-pumping action and goofy romance) but doesn’t fully satisfy either. In their limited shared screen time, Gosling and Blunt are fiercely entertaining and anchor some of the film’s wackier moments including a hare-brained finale. End credits conceal behind-the-scenes footage and an affectionate nod to the small screen inspiration for this love letter to the stunt community.

– Jo Planter