SXSW Exclusive: 'The Fall Guy' Review: A Hilarious, Stunt-tacular, Popcorn Poppin' Movie of the Year [SXSW 2024]
Made for stunt performers, by stunt performers, enjoyed by all
Some movies are made to get awards, some are made for a quick buck, and there are a few that are love letters to the industry that thousands of men and women have dedicated their lives too. The Fall Guy is one of those love letters dedicated to the men and women who bravely fall 50 feet from the air, light themselves on fire, get kicked in the face, and get into head on collisions for our enjoyment. All those things happen in the film by the way. There isn’t a stunt that goes overlooked and former stuntman turned director David Leitch goes to great lengths to make sure each one treated with the revelry it deserves and each stunt performer has earned. It is not a stretch to say the film was built off the blood, sweat and tears of the hundreds of stunt performers working in the industry today.
The plot of the film is the weakest element of the film, the effort was clearly placed elsewhere. However, the integration of the love story pulled the story along and kept it interesting for the entirety of the film. It almost feels like a western, in fact, the premise is almost exactly True Grit. The main difference is Rooster Cogburn is now a stuntman and young Mattie Ross is now the slightly older Hannah Waddingham. From that premise of an old retired stuntman being brought into the fold for the purpose of tracking a man down, the plot integrates a story of redeemed love between stuntman and now director after being reunited years after their breakup. From there the plot throws in the standard twists and turns that really don’t take anyone by surprise. The important thing is getting to the end of this mile a minute roller coaster of explosions and stunt falls.
There is no movie without the cast. Every cast member is at the top of their game at the moment and it is actually quite the accomplishment that they were all assembled in the first place. What can be said about Ryan Gosling that hasn’t already been said in his introduction during the Oscars. The man is an American Sweetheart. The range he has displayed throughout his career is masterfall. During this film he is able to flex the largest of his comedic muscles. He is right at home here and has a wonderful dynamic with his stunt coordinator best friend played by Winston Duke. The two combine to form the second best love story of the film, buddy love. The best love story is that of Gosling’s Colt Seavers and Director of Photography turned Director Jody Moreno played by the incredible Emily Blunt. Blunt is extremely charismatic, funny, and a bit of an ass-kicker in this film. She and Gosling play off each other in ways that only actors of their calibre can. Her comedic range is very natural and she throws in a cheeky self-aware quality to the character that makes her even that much more charming. Aaron Taylor-Johnson does very well as the self-absorbed, vapid, and delusional lead actor of their movie in the movie Metalstorm. He spends a good chunk of the movie off-screen but he does a ton of comedic lifting when he does enter the movie. Hannah Waddingham deserves special recognition for single handedly moving the plot along. Her comedic moments are a plentiful but the crux of the plot is laid on her shoulders and she both accepts and succeeds.
Visually the film looks great, each of the action set pieces could rival any film produced in the modern era visually. But that is no surprise for a movie being billed as an Action-Comedy. The real stars of the film are the stunts themselves. What we are treated to is a masterclass of stunts with each one carefully and lovingly executed to perfection including the now record breaking Cannon Roll. For of those you who do not know, a Cannon Roll is when a stunt vehicle abruptly turns sideways and rolls over. The record breaking roll did so eight and a half times. It doesn’t sound like much to the uninitiated but visually it is both terrifying and impressive. The fight sequences would give John Wick or Monkey Man a run for their money which in itself is impressive because those two films will be regarded as some of the best fight sequences ever put to screen. There is not a single aspect of this production that disappoints. Even the film within the film is visually stunning, it’s dumb, but visually stunning.
Let’s face it, stunt performers get overlooked. Overlooked by society, by audiences, by certain Academies… Stunts deserve not only the spotlight but the respect that actors are showered with. This film goes very far to makes sure they get the recognition they deserve. You wouldn’t know it at first glance but most if not all the extras on the set within the set in this film are stunt performers. Generations of families of stunt performers contributed to this film. It is almost tragic that it took this long for the stuntman to get their day in the sunlight. It took a special creator in the former stuntman David Leitch and special actors who appreciated everything that their stunt doubles have done for them to bring this film to life. Now it is only fitting to watch and cheer as the stunt men and women bask in their spotlight before they get lit on fire and hurled off a 60 foot bridge.