A review of the new film “The Fall Guy”
This action comedy is a kind of homage to stunt performers, the unseen and unsung heroes of so many movies. It is very loosely based on the 1980s television series of the same name (the lead actor from that series, Lee majors, makes a cameo appearance in a mid-credits sequence) and the director David Leitch started his career in the business as a stunt performer. A fun fact is that the work features a Guinness World Record stunt for the most cannon rolls (eight and a half) performed in a car.
What attracted me to the film – and what will ensure it does well at the box office – is the casting of two of my favourite actors: Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. He is Colt Seavers, a seasoned stuntman who works as a stunt double for a famous action star, and she is Jody Moreno, a camerawoman who later obtains a debut directing role on an over-the-top movie called ‘Metalstorm’.
The script is rather silly, but there’s lots of action and humour and, of course, some romance plus a supportive dog and a lively soundtrack. It’s designed as a summer crowd-pleaser and it all makes for a popcorn movie – but I don’t eat popcorn.
I preferred the 1980 film “The Stuntman”.