‘The Fall Guy’ Review: Ryan Gosling Goes Pow! Splat! Ouch!
The performer impresses as a confident daredevil, appearing with an underrated Emily Blunt, in the newest adrenaline-pumping flick created by David Leitch.
On the morning of May 2nd in the year 2024, at precisely 5:03 a.m. according to Eastern Time.
Ryan Gosling's character in "The Fall Guy" is full of energy, constantly running, jumping, tumbling, punching, and even vaulting through the air like a rocket. He has abandoned his previous "pretty" look to play Colt Seavers, a tough stuntman who is always pushing himself to new heights. Colt has a vast amount of experience, six-packs aplenty, and doesn't seem to care about his own safety. Falling 12 stories in a building atrium is just another ordinary day for him, until he almost meets his doom.
David Leitch's "The Fall Guy" is a fun and entertaining movie about a character who thrives on being thrown around and getting hurt. The main character Colt experiences a devastating accident early on in the film, and while it could be seen as a representation of modern masculinity and its issues, it might not be. The movie is mostly a showcase of spectacular stunts, with some added elements like a bit of mystery, jokes, and occasional nods to the art of filmmaking. While movie makers have been indulging in their own grandiosity for as long as cinema has been around, in this case, the film's self-importance is mostly deserved.
This blog discusses a movie that focuses on showcasing the talents of Ryan Gosling and the many stunt performers. Although the story is not very important in this movie, it is based loosely on the 80s TV series with the same title featuring Lee Majors. The movie starts before Colt's crash from a 12-story building. After taking some time to recover, he returns to performing stunts, eager to reunite with his ex-girlfriend Jody (played by Emily Blunt, who is unfortunately underused in the movie). Jody is directing a science-fiction blockbuster that looks like it borrowed elements from various other movies, such as generic video games, the fantasy film Cowboys & Aliens from 2011, and the Alien and Mad Max franchises. The movie features some flirting and fighting scenes as well.
Leitch used to perform stunts and has an impressive career history. He even acted as a double for Brad Pitt and later directed him in the movie "Bullet Train". Additionally, Leitch works alongside Chad Stahelski, another former stunt performer who is now famous for directing the "John Wick" movies with Keanu Reeves. Together, they bring a unique style to American action cinema by employing a mix of martial-arts techniques, clever fight choreography, and a specific focus on how the human body moves through space. Charlize Theron and other expressive performers have also worked with them on films such as "Atomic Blonde". Leitch and Stahelski have left their mark on the post-John Woo era of cinema.
Leitch is known for using guns and sharp weapons that cause violent harm in his films, including "The Fall Guy". However, the main focus of the action scenes in Leitch and Stahelski's productions is the intense physicality of the performers, who twist, wrench, and strain their bodies in a coordinated effort. Both directors highlight the intense effort put into these physical acts, which makes sense considering their backgrounds (as with Fred Astaire, they showcase the entire body). In these films, you can hear the characters panting and see them grimacing as they use fists, feet, and even everyday objects like a refrigerator door, briefcase, or bottle to hit soft tissue and hard skulls.
The practical effects in "The Fall Guy" are very impressive and show a focus on the physical body. This is a counterpoint to the heavy use of digital effects in action movies today. Whenever Colt falls on the ground in "The Fall Guy," it shows that the movie is authentic and real. This idea has a macho feel to it, emphasizing real stunts performed by real men. The romance between Colt and Jody is portrayed in a variety of ways, including comical, sentimental, and at times, annoying split-screen mirroring like "Pillow Talk." Although Jody is Colt's boss, he is the one who saves the day after a tough situation involving a star and producer (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Hannah Waddingham).
In the story, the concept of being real is a recurring theme which is shown through a humorous scene where Colt's face is digitally scanned and a subplot involving a deep fake. (It's more enjoyable if you don't think too much about the fact that in 2023, the topic of A.I. was a major issue in the actors' strike.) Gosling showcases his acting skills by performing some of his own stunts, including one where he is on top of a garbage truck. As "The Fall Guy" pays tribute to stunts, it's essential to recognize the hard work of Ben Jenkin and Justin Eaton as his stunt doubles, Logan Holladay as his driving double, and Troy Brown as his double when he takes a dangerous fall. Well done to all these skilled professionals!
The film entitled "The Fall Guy" has been rated with a PG-13 classification due to the presence of scenes that depict falls, fights, crashes and explosions. It has a running time of 2 hours and 6 minutes and is currently being shown in theaters.
