There has been a lot of conversation in film circles about the glaring omission of a stunt category at the Oscars, and for good reason. Stunt performers have been a part of the filmmaking process since day one, and their craft is one of precision, science, and artistry — exactly the things that the Academy aims to honor. At the most recent ceremony a small amount of progress was made to this end: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt took the stage to issue a statement in celebration of stunt performers. A nice gesture, to be sure, but it was really just an advertisement for The Fall Guy.
Based on the television show of the same name, and directed by stuntman-turned-filmmaker David Leitch, The Fall Guy is intended as a love-letter to the unsung heroes of cinema. Those brave men and women whose whole job consists of taking the hits while making sure that their faces aren’t seen, lest anyone be rendered unable to suspend their disbelief that John Travolta and Nic Cage could ever engage in a speedboat fight that ends with a crash so intense that both men fly through the air and land safely on the beach without even a bruise to show for it. Stunt people do the dirty work so that the pretty faces of Hollywood don’t have to. And make no mistake, it doesn’t have to be an action movie for the stunt team to be called to work. You’d be surprised as to the sheer number of small, thankless tasks that are performed by stunt people. Their craft is the cinematic equivalent of a solid bass line: it’s not always something you notice, but you’d definitely notice its absence. Stunt performers are essential.
And this, of course, is doubly true for action films such as this one.
Standing in for Lee Majors is Ryan Gosling. He plays Colt Seavers, stuntman extraordinaire. For many years he’s been the official double for Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), an action star with a big ego problem and an even bigger drug problem. On the set of Ryder’s latest movie, a hot and heavy romance blossoms between Colt and Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), a camera operator with her eyes on becoming a director. But before the two lovers have a chance to make their tryst official, Colt is injured in a stunt gone wrong, seemingly putting an end to his career.
This is until he receives a call from Gail (Hannah Waddingham), a powerful producer who invites Cole back into the fray, not just to perform stunts on Jody’s new movie, but to locate Ryder, whose celebrity lifestyle has kept him away from the set for so long that production may soon shut down. Enticed by the dual opportunity to resuscitate his career and his romantic connection to Jody, Colt takes the job, and soon after, an action movie occurs.
Where The Fall Guy succeeds most is in its sense of humor. We’re all well aware of Ryan Gosling’s comedic chops, and they’re on full display here. He has the unique ability to apply his naturally smug look in multiple ways. The same face can be employed to portray a cocksure attitude, hilarious confusion, and steamy sex appeal, sometimes with all three modes appearing simultaneously. His Colt is obviously aware of his outward good looks and skills as a stuntman, but he also exhibits an air of incredulity at all times. He’s been in plenty of action movies, but they’ve all been pretend. Now that his skills are being applied to a real world situation, he can no longer rely on safety protocol. There are no harnesses, fire extinguishers, or insurance policies. And since his mission is relatively top secret, no backup.
Together, Gosling and Blunt have fantastic chemistry, even if the latter isn’t really given too much to do outside of being a love interest for our hero. While Blunt makes Jody sing on screen (quite literally in one scene), there’s not much on the page. She goes from jilted lover to “would do anything and everything for an iota Colt’s attention” with very little reason, but then again, who could blame her? Colt is just that damn charming. And really, when the two team up in service of a shared goal, their chemistry is downright electric.
Yet it’s Waddingham who steals the frame any time her Gail steps in front of the camera. We know the type: the soulless producer who will do anything to get what she wants. Waddingham embraces the cartoonish, exaggerated version of this trope, while also making Gail feel like she could exist in the real world. For all the liberties this film takes with how the movie business functions, her two-faced, selfish characterization feels like the exact type of person whose existence allows Hollywood’s penchant for criminal excess to remain intact. Playing foil to Gail is Dan Tucker (Winston Duke), a stunt coordinator with a heart of gold and a head full of movie quotes, many of which are applied to whatever action-packed situation he and Colt find themselves in.
The film is blessed to have such a killer cast and clever script, because for all its intentions to showcase great stunt work, the action beats are pretty standard. David Leitch clearly knows how to choreograph such a thing, but he has a long way to go with knowing how to shoot them. And it’s a shame, because the stunt reel which plays over the end credits highlights how much work (and how many stunt professionals) went into doing all of it practically. Yet every action piece looks infinitely better in the reel than they do in the film itself. There’s a gloss on the final product (a digital shine, if you will) that makes every big stunt look as if it were created in post-production rather than in-camera. A film that purports to celebrate stunt work shouldn’t need a post-film reel to assure us that actual stunt work was employed. Even though many of the sequences are ultimately very exciting, and imbued with very effective humor, the pristine sheen placed over it all is a huge disservice. The Fall Guy is a good movie, but a little grit could’ve made it great.
This energy is also hampered by a wonky edit and a wonkier construction. A prime example has a citywide action scene intercut with a karaoke party. The only reason the two scenes are intercut with one another is so that a needle drop of Phil Collins’ Against All Odds could serve as a humorous dichotomy to the action. Since the film repeatedly cuts back and forth between the action and what’s supposed to be an emotional scene for Jody, both the action and the drama lose their energy. Was it really worth throwing these scenes to the wind in the name of a gag that doesn’t really land? My vote is no.
But for every stunt that undercuts its own spectacle, there’s another that will put your jaw on the floor while also eliciting a big belly laugh. For all its missed opportunities, The Fall Guy is a powerfully entertaining movie. The name of the game is fun, and this is a true crowd pleaser. Even if the action doesn’t quite reach the heights of its ambition, it’s a great jumping off point (with a harness, of course) for a sequel, perhaps with a little less blockbuster polish. And maybe Stephanie Hsu’s character can get more than two collective minutes of screen time.
Directed by David Leitch
Written by Drew Pearce, Glen A. Larson
Starring GooGoo Gosling, Emily Blunt, Hannah Waddingham, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Rated PG-13, 126 minutes
