The Fall Guy | SXSW 2024 Film Review

In the world of filmmaking, there are few unheralded roles as underappreciated as stunts (just ask the Academy Awards, who STILL refuse to add a “Best Stunts” category to their onslaught of nominees). Why that is, well, that’s anyone’s guess. Is it vanity? Actors who don’t want the world to know how tough they really are not. Or perhaps it’s due to that coveted “movie magic”, where the less we talk about it, the more it all seamlessly blends into the background. Regardless, stunt people rarely get their due, and The Fall Guy is here to flip that script. 

Director (and stuntman himself) David Leitch takes the reins of this reinterpretation of the 80s TV series – which starred Lee Majors and Heather Thomas – and casts Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a dedicated stuntman who has spent six years dedicated to action superstar Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, pouring on the actorly arrogance). Early on, we learn that Colt is in love with Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), a camerawoman and aspiring director, but after a freak accident lands Colt incapacitated, his pride prevents him from any relationships nor the job he has thus far perfected. 

Jumping ahead eighteen months, Tom’s agent, Gail (a maniacally delightful Hannah Waddingham), reaches out with an offer: fly to Australia, where Tom has gone missing, find him, reunite with his best friend (an always welcome Winston Duke), and save Jody’s movie before Tom’s absence tanks her first big break. Colt cannot turn down the chance to help Jody, nor possibly rekindle their romance, and so he immediately bolts down under and quickly finds himself embroiled in a twisted tale of murder, intrigue, and – obviously – action. 

From John Wick to Atomic Blonde to Bullet Train, David Leitch understands the world of stunts. He lives and breathes it. The Fall Guy carries with it numerous set-pieces and half of them are based inside of the movies themselves. This makes for a hefty dose of meta-insanity where the audience watches firsthand what goes into getting the sausage made. As a production, this film is clearly a love-letter to those in this madcap world of entertainment that put their bodies and souls on the line every day, without an ounce of vanity as they might never be seen, simply to leave fans with a tinge of intensity in their veins and perhaps a smile on their faces. It’s a thankless job that deserves far more praise than it gets, and Leitch is doing his part to correct that.

The Fall Guy is a fun film, overall, don’t misunderstand that. That said, the script is a bit muddled and scattered. Seemingly stitched together from several clever ideas going to very different places, it takes a good hour for the story to find its footing, coasting on the charms of Gosling and Blunt to get us through. There is really nothing here that will greatly surprise any longtime fan of cinema, but ultimately the pieces align, and it all comes together for a show-stopping finale. 

Thankfully, the heart of this film lies with Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. Colt and Jody spar throughout the film, debating on if their love was ever real and if it could be saved, and each actor could – as Gosling hilariously put it during the SXSW premiere – “create chemistry with a trash can”. As they riff, break apart, and come together, Colt and Jody are always worth rooting for, even as insanity occurs directly behind their frame. 

Blunt’s role is a bit lighter than Gosling’s, both on the page and the screen, yet Blunt makes the most of every opportunity, creating yet another memorable character for her arsenal. The tweaking of Jody’s character (she was also a stuntwoman in the series) was a spark of genius, as it allows the film to fully explore the extreme ridiculousness involved in helming a big-budget opus like hers. 

Their relationship takes center stage, but Ryan Gosling is The Fall Guy. Whether it’s in the movies he is making or the case he’s trapped in, Colt Seavers is bruised, battered, beaten, and still bounces right back into it with a hearty thumbs-up as he gets ready to go again. Gosling infuses his effortless goofy wit into Colt with shades of his Nice Guys persona, Holland March. 

Colt is confident and resourceful, and he utilizes his stunt background to wild effect, and we cannot take our eyes off Gosling and whatever he will do next. Even during an extended section of the film, where Colt finds himself higher than Cheech or Chong, Gosling creates magic out of nothingness with nothing more than a tic or awkward glance. And maybe a unicorn. 

The film ironically suffers from an overwrought script due to mega-budget filmmaking, but that does not stop this from being one hell of a ride. Gosling and Blunt are enchanting together, and David Leitch raises the volume and intensity with every stunt and action set-piece. The Fall Guy is a loving tribute to some of the most impactful people in Hollywood, the unknown stuntmen and stuntwomen. It’s also exactly the type of bombastic fun that demands to be seen on the biggest screen possible. 

Listen to our full podcast covering the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival on this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: