The Fall Guy (2024)

David Leitch | 2hr 5min

A stuntman will only persevere through so many dangerous pratfalls and snubs before they steal their moment in the spotlight, though David Leitch’s Hollywood satire is not tainted with the bitterness of being sidelined. The Fall Guy is a tribute to that under-recognised breed of performer who is resilient in both mind and body, putting their lives on the line for art, and stoically dedicating themselves to a job that A-list celebrities will inevitably claim the credit for when the red carpet is rolled out.

Though Leitch loosely bases his film off the 80s television series of the same name, there is little connecting the two besides the character of Colt Stevens. Next to Aaron Taylor Johnson’s bombastic presence as Tom Ryder, the actor who Colt doubles for, Ryan Gosling’s understated charm perfectly counters Leitch’s embellished caricature of show business, taking the constant belittlement directed towards stuntmen in his stride. A peaceful life working as a valet seems appealing, especially after the near-fatal accident which pushes him to leave the industry, yet the thrill, romance, and spectacle of Hollywood moviemaking is irresistible. It is only a matter of time before Colt is drawn back in, allured by the prospect of reconciling with his ex-girlfriend Jody during production of her directorial debut Metalstorm, but the path to redeeming his former glory is not so straightforward.

Tom Ryder’s sudden disappearance into a shady circle of mobsters is merely the catalyst for this action-mystery narrative, plunging Colt into the depths of a Hollywood conspiracy as he seeks to track down and rescue the man who has overshadowed him at every turn. Leitch’s celebration of practical stunt work goes far beyond paying lip service too – The Fall Guy breezily surfs along waves of adrenaline-pumping set pieces, opening with Colt falling several storeys to a devastating injury, and appropriately reaching its climax on a pyrotechnic movie set. Some stylistic experimentation in these sequences doesn’t go amiss either, particularly in one night club fight scene that bursts with neon vibrance and drug-fuelled hallucinations.

Movie producer Gail’s claim that he is well-suited to the task of finding Tom due to the natural ability of stunt doubles to go unnoticed is partially correct, but it additionally becomes apparent that only a daredevil like Colt could handle the brawls, chases, and feats of extraordinary physical prowess that the job entails. Hanging from the back of a pickup truck, he surfs on a slab of metal across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and later escapes mobsters by faking his own death in a boat explosion. The narrative moves briskly, though Leitch is wise to hold back his editing in longer takes that let his hand-to-hand combat take centre stage. It is especially worth savouring every second when it comes to the record-breaking eight-and-a-half cannon rolls that stuntman Logan Holladay performs in a crashing car, appreciating the incredible level of coordination that went into such a complex manoeuvre.

Though it occasionally seems as if Leitch is simply searching for any excuse to escalate a scene into an extravagant set piece, The Fall Guy at least acknowledges its own extraordinary artifice. Meta-movie references are abundant here, with Metalstorm’s thinly veiled Dune parody mimicking Hans Zimmer’s score with hilarious accuracy, as well as a Cowboys & Aliens allegory barely concealing the subtext of Colt and Jody’s embarrassingly public post-breakup chat.

Still, oftentimes The Fall Guy seems less interested in satirising Hollywood movie conventions and more in revelling in them, leading to a climactic confrontation that plays out with disappointingly little tension. By exalting escapist entertainment as cinema’s most noble purpose, Leitch misses an opportunity to push formal boundaries in the same way his old collaborator Chad Stahelski has with the John Wick series. This is not to say that the project lacks passion though – The Fall Guy is clearly a labour of love for Leitch, shining a light on an underappreciated industry profession that he worked in for many years before sitting in the director’s chair. If movies are manufactured illusions, then stunt doubles like Colt personify the reality that must be hidden, only to be acknowledged and honoured inside cinema’s artificial worlds with a wry tinge of self-awareness.

The Fall Guy is currently playing in cinemas.