Though the names are the same, the faces have changed, as have some major plot devices. Yet, David Leitch’s The Fall Guy manages to transform an old television show for modern audiences. Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is the personal stunt double for mega-action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Life is good with a steady gig and a steady girl in camera operator Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). Colt’s world is shattered when a routine stunt goes wrong, and he breaks his back.
Months later, Colt is out of the game with his self-imposed estrangement from Jody and now works as a valet at a local fine dining establishment. Before you can blink an eye, Ryder’s long-time producer, Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddington), recruits Colt to take his place as Tom’s stunt double, adding that Jody is the director of the film as the convincer to get back in.
When Colt arrives, he receives a chilly reception from Jody, who wants nothing to do with him. Gail has ulterior motives for Colt’s return as Tom has gone missing, and if Colt can find him, Jody’s movie will be saved. The search goes very wrong when Colt finds a dead body in Tom’s home.
The Fall Guy is probably the best adaptation of a relatively cheesy television show from the 80s. I will venture a guess, but I’m sure that most of the movie’s target audience has never seen The Fall Guy. Some liberties have been taken as Colt Seaver is a stuntman but not a bounty hunter.
“Colt’s world is shattered when a routine stunt goes wrong, and he breaks his back.”
What writers Drew Pearce and Glen A. Larson do so well is extract the right elements and themes from The Fall Guy, which allowed it to run for five seasons. Pearce and Larson brought that fun onto the big screen. These essential elements are massive stunt set pieces, along with a dude in Colt Seavers who saves the day using his stunt smarts and techniques. No one is in fear of dying (at the hands of Seaver) as the knives are rubber, and the guns are full of blanks.
The Fall Guy gives us a clever romance between Colt and Jody. Gosling and Blunt have fantastic chemistry together as estranged lovers to root for. It starts cold but quickly gets playful with a memorable split-screen phone call.
My only complaint is that Gosling gets somewhat annoying playing Colt as the modern man—in touch with his emotions and looking for any reason to confess he’s a better man. Gone is the macho Lee Majors. Here to stay is the emotionally sensitive Gosling.
The dude in me is here for the action. The stunts are pretty cool and, thankfully, feel authentic to a standard big-budget movie set. The difficulty of the stunts progresses over the film, and the “gags” vary from car chases to hand-to-hand combat to a pretty fun boat chase. Yes, the ending gets a bit outlandish, but it’ll be alright once you shove a handful of popcorn in your face,
Don’t get me wrong. The Fall Guy is a fun action flick with something for everyone. Before you cancel me, it’s not that emotions are wrong and men should not acknowledge their toxic nature, but it’s just overplayed. Either way, The Fall Guy may make a great date movie.
"…a fun action flick with something for everyone."
