[Movie] “The Fall Guy“ Review : The Art and Risks of Stunt Performance

As I was scrolling through YouTube today, I came across a short clip from a movie I watched last year. The title of the movie is The Fall Guy . You know there are some movies you’ll watch that you’ll not forget what happened in the movie so quick, and some scene keeps playing in your head anytime you come across a clip from the movie.

The Fall Guy (2024) was directed by David Leitch. The movie stares Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), who was professional stuntman, he had an accident on set and this makes him to take a break from him career. The break he took did not only affect his career but it also affect the relationship he had with Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) who at same time was also busy chasing her own dream of becoming movie a director. So, when Colt finally returns back to work , he partakes in Jody's new film, through that, he wants to get his career back on track and probably fix his relationship with her. But then, the lead actor of the movie, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Tom Ryder) suddenly goes missing, and this makes things complicated.

What I really love about this film is how much respect it shows for stunt performers in movies, they actually needs to be celebrated, I can’t imagine the dangerous falls they encounter when shooting, the way the car flip, some kind of crazy action scenes. They put in their skills, they made plans and thier guts is incredible.

Ryan Gosling did a great job in the movie, he is so funny and he’s good at handling all the physical stuffs, but when it comes to real life stuff, he is a kind of a disaster and this is what make him fun to watch. His comic timing and facial expressions are always on point, he can also make a ridiculous scene entertaining. And sometimes, he doesn’t have idea of what he’s doing, but he just keeps going anyway.

Emily Blunt was also great. She delivered her role with confidence, She has her own ambitions, she’s not just a character who is just there to support the male lead. Her chemistry with Colt feels very natural, they both had awkward moments and sweet moments together , the relationship she has with Colt was one of the most interesting parts of the movie.

The action? I’ll be honest, the action is one the reason why I fell for this movie. You can tell that David Leitch used to be a stuntman, because everything feels physical and real. I noticed how much practical work went into the movie instead of using CGI. In this movie , you’ll see fistfights, sword play, gunfights, and a car chase that had me grinning in my seat 😁.

However, I have some problem with the storyline , because I was confused at some point, Many plots were happening at the same time, and they also make some jokes that go longer than necessary, and there was also some moments when the characters’ failed to communicate to each other, and these makes things to be more complicated than it should. For me, I think all these makes the movie unnecessary longer, because I feel they all have phones, why not communicate?

Despite the issues I have with the movie, I still had a good time with the movie, and I love the fact the it highlights the people who often go unnoticed behind some of our favourite action scenes, they passed through a lot in other to make a scene look so real.

So if you like a movie packed with action, comedy, romance, dangerous stunts, humour, and some kind of Hollywood drama. Definitely you’ll find The Fall Guy interesting.

^{Images were sourced from IMDb.}