Welcome back to the blog readers. One of the films I have been looking forward to this summer has been the new David Leitch film The Fall Guy. Leitch has become one of my favorite action filmmakers of the last decade, giving us hit after hit after hit. From co-directing John Wick (2014) to Deadpool 2 (2018) to Hobbs & Shaw (2019) to Bullet Train (2022), Leitch has put his stamp on Hollywood as of recent. I have been excited for this film for a while, but how would the film actually pan out? Stick around to find out.
The Fall Guy was directed by David Leitch and written by Drew Pearce, and loosely based on the 1980s television series of the same name. The film stars Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, and Winston Duke. In the film, stuntman Colt Seavers is convinced to come out of retirement to work on his former girlfriend's directorial debut film, only to get himself wrapped up in a conspiracy involving the film's lead actor.
I spoke briefly about how David Leitch has become one of my favorite directors in Hollywood right now. Look at the filmography I presented at the top of this post. Going into this film, I expected the same level of crazy fun that I have gotten in the last few Leitch outings. And I am glad to report that that is the case. I will go one step further to say that this is my second favorite film of the year so far (behind Dune: Part Two (2024)). The performances of Gosling, Blunt, and Waddingham are all note-worthy, and the action is nothing short of fun and in your face.
Ryan Gosling has been one of the busiest men in Hollywood over the last few years, especially after his Oscar-nominated performance in Barbie (2023), where I absolutely believed that he deserved it. He deserves all the praise for his performance in this film as well. You can feel his cool guy persona that he puts on, but you can also see a character that is flawed, and that is something that Gosling plays to perfection. I also believe that this is one of his most engaging and relatable roles to date.
Emily Blunt also has a pitch-perfect performance as the director of a science-fiction western film and the former lover of Gosling's Colt Seavers. I do think that Blunt pulls from something that we have not seen from her before, and I loved every second of her on screen. Her character has such a magnetic personality and one that can also be as relatable as Gosling's. Don't get me wrong, this performance won't be nominated for any awards, but good performances make or break a film/series.
Hannah Waddingham is not a name that was all too familiar to me going into The Fall Guy, but she is a name that I know now and want to know more about in the future. I know that she was in Ted Lasso (2020-23) and Sex Education (2019-23), but the character she plays in this film is so easy to love. The snarky attitude she always has and the sheer desperation she displays is pure chaos, and I love every second of it. I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of Waddingham.
The action/stunts in this film are absolutely incredible, and I wanted to also take a second to commend all of the people that do stunts. I believe that the action/stunts in this film were given all the love and dedication they deserve, especially since director David Leitch was a stuntman before he found a career behind the camera. Someone like him would definitely know how to make sure this was the case. I loved the fight through Sydney on the tow truck, I loved the hand-to-hand stuff that we see throughout the film, and I especially love the final fight where the plot has been exposed and all of the crew get in on the fun.
I wanted to end this post by commemorating some of the music found in this film as well. As a rock guy, hearing tunes like "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC, "I Was Made for Lovin' You" by Kiss (and a cover by Yungblud), "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness, "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" by Phil Collins, "I Hate Myself for Loving You" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and even "All Too Well" by Taylor Swift (and yes Swifties, it is the Taylor version) definitely warmed my heart. David Leitch has a great taste in music, and I hope it continues in his future films.
In conclusion, The Fall Guy is a love letter to stuntpeople that excels in characters, story, action, and even music, and ties them together in a wonderful little package. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
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