“The Fall Guy”: An Adventure As Fun As Forgettable

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt star in a new action film, directed by David Leitch.

Summary

Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) has a good career as a stunt performer for the famous Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and is in a promising relationship with camerawoman Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). A stunt gone wrong leaves him severely injured and forces him to abandon the life he knows.

Months after his accident, Colt is contacted by Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham), Tom Ryder’s producer, who asks him to join the production team of a new film, which Jody is directing. But not everything is what it seems. Colt will end up involved in a dangerous conspiracy and will have to use all his skills to get out of it alive.

A Look Into The Stunt Double’s Work

Director David Leitch defined this film as “a love letter to stunts”. He wanted to highlight all these people who face danger to create all the thrilling action sequences we see in movies and whose hard work tends to be overlooked. Leitch himself has worked as a stunt double and stunt coordinator throughout his career.

The Fall Guy used practical stunts as well as choreographed action sequences. I wouldn’t say they were the best I have ever seen, but they look great. It was a lot of fun to watch. I must say I expected as much; I loved Leitch’s work in Bullet Train a couple of years ago.

As a fun fact, the film broke a Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car, which is actually mentioned by one of the characters as part of the script. This, and the appearance of Jason Momoa as himself, were pretty funny.

As a film enthusiast, I really enjoy productions that show how movies are made and how it is to work in a set. You can also catch plenty of mentions and references to other films, which I loved.

Romantic Comedy or Action Blockbuster?

Having watched Bullet Train, I went into the theater expecting something in the same style, where comedy is there to add flavor to the action. To my surprise, The Fall Guy seems to be a romantic comedy first, which didn’t quite sit with me.

There are plenty of things that are enjoyable. For starters, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, aside from being charismatic people, have good chemistry together. Their romantic storyline is simple and dumb, with the usual cringy moments of a romcom, but both actors make it kind of charming in their own way. I didn’t dislike it.

However, I find that in Bullet Train, the director achieved a better balance between action and comedy than here. I felt a slight disconnection while jumping from one scene where Ryan Gosling is crying to a Taylor Swift song, remembering his lost love, to one where he is fighting three armed bad guys with just a prop gun.

The main character’s story is improbable at best, and that makes the resolution of the conflict fall flat for me. I understand that to enjoy this kind of film, you have to turn off your brain for a little while. Still, I like things to make, at least, a bit of sense.

Box Office Numbers

So far, The Fall Guy’s numbers have not been the greatest; I don’t think it will be a hit. According to The Numbers, in the first three weeks, the global box office has amounted to almost $111.000.000. Domestically, it has barely reached $57.000.000, with a production budget of $125.000.000. It will need to make a lot more to be profitable.

I’m not all that surprised about the situation. Even though the film is fun and enjoyable overall, it’s not something special or memorable. And as of late, even having big names associated with a project and relatively good reviews is not enough to draw people to theaters.

We’ll see what the box office has in store for The Fall Guy.