David Leitch has become one of my favorite directors to keep an eye on. Although he has not made any outstanding films that you would expect to win awards, he knows how to make action, and really entertaining action. With Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw and Bullet Train, Leitch has a great recent history and his latest effort only cements his action talents even more.
The Fall Guy is everything you could want from an action movie at the cinema. It’s cool and elegant, exciting and explosive, light and fun, funny and emotional. There’s a little bit of everything in The Fall Guy. And this is what makes this film such an effortlessly entertaining delight, with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt standing out with their charismatic performances, while the meta elements keep it thriving and not weighed down by exposition.
Yes, you heard right, I use everyone’s favorite keyword: meta. The Fall Guy is a film about a stuntman who is tasked with finding the lead actor in a film he is working on. The title is a double entendre, as he is both a literal scapegoat due to his stunt background, and because he soon becomes embroiled in a plot where sinister forces want to make him an actual criminal scapegoat as well. In addition, there is a very clear caricature of Hollywood and the film industry, with constant references to ugly CGI, evil and disconnected directors, big-headed stars, irrelevant and translated stunt performers, and a story that unfolds on several fronts, not just in the film-within-the-film , but also in how the main characters of Gosling’s Colt Seavers and Blunt’s Jody Moreno are connected. This film has layers upon layers, and while it would undoubtedly have led to confusion and bewilderment if it were a Christopher Nolan film, the plot of The Fall Guy is so clearly intended that it feels natural, and thus unbelievable, and unapologetically, meta.
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Admittedly, there are moments where The Fall Guy’s plot feels a little too predictable or slow, but the meta and inscrutable elements mean you can push past these parts and persevere. Perhaps Leitch could have trimmed the film down by 15 minutes to limit this feeling further, but with a constant stream of well-coordinated and exciting action sequences broken up by big and personal moments between Gosling and Blunt, you can understand why the film pushes right past the two-hour mark . At its best, The Fall Guy will capture your attention and engage and entertain you in a way that very few theatrical films have managed so far this year.
The Fall Guy is often described as a romantic action comedy. While the action bit is handled in such a good way that you understand why this film is also seen as a letter to the Academy that stunt performers should and must be recognized at the Oscars, the romantic comedy elements are also handled with elegance. Much of its success can be attributed to Gosling and Blunt, who are absolutely brilliant together in this film and steal the limelight from all the other actors, but the way the humor and emotion are interwoven means that the film never feels silly or too silly (as it literally should be) or too romantic and distinctive. The balance is exactly as you want it to be.
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The other actors also contribute to lifting the film a little higher, even if, as I mentioned a moment ago, they are often overshadowed by the lead duo. Hannah Waddingham is perhaps the best supporting actress here, with a great performance as a delusional production manager who complements Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s loathsome fictional protagonist Tom Ryder. There are also a couple of funny cameos, which I won’t reveal, but which lead to a lot of laughs. And the soundtrack is on par with the best of them. If you loved the Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix, this soundtrack will hit the spot for you too.
But having said that, The Fall Guy is a rawly entertaining action film that is just the injection the cinema needs this year. It is fresh and new, with fast pace, brilliant action, top performances and witty and humorous comedy. It’s not going to win any of the most coveted awards, but it should be in the running for visual effects, production design, and all the typical awards that we usually see superhero movies and other more predictable action movies win on an annual basis. If it weren’t for Dune: Part Two, I’d go so far as to say that The Fall Guy is currently the best action movie of 2024.
