Director: David Leitch
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke
Screenplay: Drew Pearce
126 mins. Rated PG-13 for action and violence, drug content and some strong language.

There’s a moment in The Fall Guy where Colt Seavers, played by Ryan Gosling (Barbie), is asked if stunt actors can get Oscars, and I half-expected him to turn directly to the camera for his response: No. The scene could almost work as the thesis statement of the new action-comedy from stuntman-turned-director David Leitch (Bullet Train). Leitch and Gosling have frequently sited throughout the marketing that The Fall Guy is their love letter to the Stuntman, and it’s the perfect property to resurrect for this venture.

Based on the 1981 TV series, which ran for five seasons and starred Lee Majors, follows Colt Seavers, a stuntman who has been pulled back into the game by intense film producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham, TV’s Ted Lasso) to find the missing star of the film, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tenet). Colt takes on this ridiculous task to impress the film’s director, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer), his old flame and one he hopes to rekindle.

One can always expect Leitch to direct fantastic action. He’s done it time and time again with recent efforts Bullet Train and Deadpool 2. Even when the collective film hasn’t entirely worked for me, as in Atomic Blonde, I’m still monumentally impressed with the choreography and sheer scale of his vision, and The Fall Guy is no exception. Each set piece stands on its own and feels necessary to the thesis while also continuing to develop the mystery and the characters involved. Outside of the finale, which felt overstuffed, The Fall Guy has a solid mixture of punches and character, and it feels like Leitch has become more assured in translating his vision in the director’s chair.

I was also impressed with the chemistry from the two leads. As much as I love both Gosling and Blunt, I wasn’t entirely sure if their individual energies would work so well together, but I found they both had a naturalism to their performances that made for an entertaining love story that felt worth rooting for.

Screenwriter Drew Pearce (Iron Man 3) has consistently crafted great popcorn experiences at the movies from his work with the MCU and the Fast and Furious spin-off Hobbs & Shaw, and his screenplay for The Fall Guy has plenty of moments that got a great kick from my theater, specifically from Pearce’s use of clever dialogue that always comes across witty without being overindulgent. He also seems to capture the spirit of the original TV show in relation to the state of action and stunt cinema. The 80s series was fairly in line with the action cinema of the time, and the same can be said of this new iteration, so while they may not be that similar to one another, both interpretations match the energy of their respective time periods, and this version of The Fall Guy finds itself in good company with the adaptations of 21 Jump Street and Starsky and Hutch as they eschew and reconfigure their source materials for newer generations.

To be fair, The Fall Guy likely would’ve won me over strictly for the love and admiration it gave to Miami Vice (the best cop show of the 80s), but beyond that, it’s a very crowd-pleasing action-rom-com that excels in equal measure. The pacing, while imperfect, is better than most recent major releases, and its humor left me with a smirk on my face for the entirety. I have no doubt that this one will win over audiences. Let the fight for the Stunt Oscar continue!

3.5/5
-Kyle A. Goethe

For my review of David Leitch’s Atomic Blonde, click here.
For my review of David Leitch’s Deadpool 2, click here.
For my review of David Leitch’s Fast & Furious presents Hobbs & Shaw, click here.