Plenty of classic TV shows have gotten the big-screen reboot treatment — among them Get Smart, 21 Jump Street, Baywatch, and, of course, Mission: Impossible. Bullet Train filmmaker and John Wick co-director David Leitch hopes to bring a new vision to the ‘80s series The Fall Guy with Ryan Gosling as its lead, but despite the best efforts of everyone involved, it ends up being just another underwhelming studio action flick.
In the film, Gosling plays a stuntman who gets pulled out of retirement to track down the missing star of his ex-girlfriend’s new film, only to be thrown into a complex web of conspiracies. With his background being in stunts, it’s understandable what Leitch likely saw in Drew Pearce and Glen A. Lawson’s script. Unfortunately, this potential is largely squandered on a middling entry to the genre.
The approach of the stunts is very different from the type you might be used to seeing in major action blockbusters — including Leitch’s own past work. Because the movie is mainly set on and around film sets, it’s more grounded than your average action flick. And while there are quite a few cool moments, audiences hungry for carnage will be left clamoring for more.
The Fall Guy has its moments but mostly underwhelms
Perhaps the most frustrating thing about The Fall Guy’s action is that there is so little combat. Only one or two scenes focus on impressive fight choreography, which is where Leitch made his name. Otherwise, it’s a lot of explosions and driving, and while that stuff is cool, it starts to grow repetitive and unoriginal really fast.
Even the best stunts in the film are ruined by lackluster editing. For example, one stunt in the movie is legitimately record-breaking — a remarkably long barrel roll in a car — yet it’s shot and edited in a way that makes it feel like it was not supposed to go on for that long. The second act’s action sequence fares even worse, being intercut with a mostly ineffective scene meant to be comedic relief.
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As with many meta commentaries, especially when it comes to films on this large of a scale, The Fall Guy essentially becomes the exact thing it parodies. It’s too busy telling a conventional action story to comment on the things wrong with the genre. Although the film is self-aware, it doesn’t do anything with this awareness.
Fresh off his Oscar-nominated turn in Barbie, Ryan Gosling again brings a phenomenal level of charisma to his role. Admittedly, it always feels like we are watching Gosling. The Fall Guy never convinces us that this A-list actor — one of the most viral people on the planet — could be as anonymous as a stuntman is. However, that doesn’t make his performance any less fun to watch.
On the other hand, the rest of the cast feels entirely wasted. Emily Blunt is reduced to little more than the romantic interest, and Winston Duke the sidekick. Although both have one action scene where they can really shine, it isn’t a proper use of their talents. Even worse off is Hannah Waddingham, who feels entirely miscast in her role.
It’s definitely a little hard to hate The Fall Guy because David Leitch is clearly passionate about the material and what it means for the stunts industry. However, for a film with so much love behind it, it’s inexplicably stagnant and lifeless—something that none of Leitch’s films have felt like in the past. It’s generally passable and sometimes even good, but mostly disappointing.
The Fall Guy screened at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, which runs March 8-16 in Austin, TX.
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