The Fall Guy Review

“I might jump an open drawbridge, or Tarzan from a vine, Cause I’m the unknown stuntman that makes Eastwood look so fine”

Almost 40 years after the final episode of The Fall Guy went off the air I still remember those lyrics. The show was about a stuntman named Colt Seavers who was a bounty hunter when he was not filming. I loved watching the show because there was always a big stunt in each episode and the show made me love action movies. 

Here we are in 2024 and The Fall Guy is an action-comedy starring Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers and he is one of the top stuntmen in his profession. It is pretty great to see the movie start with a voiceover by Colt talking about the importance of stunt people while showing action scenes from some of our favorite movies. Colt has been the stuntman for action star Tom Ryder, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, for numerous films and is getting ready for one more stunt at the beginning of the movie. 

The movie next flash forwards 18 months and we see that Colt was injured on his last stunt and is now working for a restaurant as a valet. He receives a call from Tom’s film producer, Gail Meyer, played by the charming Hannah Waddingham, wanting Colt to come work on his latest film. She states that he would want to take the job because his former girlfriend, Jody Moreno, played by Emily Blunt is the director and he is perfect for the job.

This starts a series of events which has Colt, trying to find a missing Tom Ryder, fighting off henchmen that are looking for Ryder’s phone, and trying to rekindle the relationship he had with Jody. Being that this is directed by David Leitch, a former stuntman, the action scenes in this movie are pretty unique. Leitch gives the viewer an inside look into the world of stunt professionals kind of like how Robert Mandel did with special effects in the 1986 film, F/X.

For fans of the early 80’s show, there are a few nods to the series in the movie. There are also some great references to many action movies and television shows. I will say that hearing the Miami Vice theme song was pretty cool. There is a Six Million Dollar Man reference that might go over the head of younger viewers. There are a lot of great needle drops throughout the movie and those just enhance the action scenes. Hearing “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”  by The Darkness or ‘All I Do Is Win‘ by DJ Khaled makes certain moments stay in your head. 

Final Thoughts: The Fall Guy is a love letter to the stunt profession and action movies in general. While some of the mystery elements are easy to solve before the film ends, it is still a fun journey. Ryan Gosling shows us that he shines in movies that combine action and comedy like The Nice Guys. Since former stuntman David Leitch directed this movie, there are a lot of fantastic stunt scenes. Make sure to stay for the credits and the mid-credit scene.  

Kid-Friendly: The Fall Guy has a lot of entertainment value for the family because it is a PG-13 movie. The action scenes are not John Wick intense and they are filmed stylishly. If your kids have seen movies like John Wick or Monkey Man they will be ok with this movie. 

Violence: There are a lot of action scenes in the movie that propel the story. There is nothing that is too gratuitous or over the top. There are a few curse words here and there in the movie.

He’s a stuntman, and like everyone in the stunt community, he gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment. And now, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right?

From real life stunt man and director David Leitch, the blockbuster director of Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and the producer of John Wick, Nobody and Violent Night, comes his most personal film yet. A new hilarious, hard-driving, all-star apex-action thriller and love letter to action movies and the hard-working and under-appreciated crew of people who make them: The Fall Guy.