It’s impossible not to love Ryan Gosling at this point. He was the highlight as Ken in last year’s Barbie, and he’s been a delight in other movies over the years such as La La Land and The Nice Guys (both released in 2016). Meanwhile, director David Leitch has been improving himself with each movie, including the fun ride that was 2022’s Bullet Train. Put them together and what you get in a meta explosion of action, romance, comedy and a tribute to the hard work of stunt people in Hollywood.

Tropic Thunder With Stunts

Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch

In The Fall Guy, Ryan Gosling plays Colt Seavers, a professional stuntman who finds himself trying to solve dangerous mystery while also trying to rekindle his romance with his ex-girlfriend, Jody Moreno (played by Emily Blunt) and being the stuntman in her first movie as a director. With that setting, The Fall Guy is like a movie in a movie sort of premise, where we see how movies get made by fictional characters making a movie. The last time I saw a movie doing it this well was 2008’s Tropic Thunder, which was also self-aware and meta just like The Fall Guy (as well as being well ahead of its time).

The main highlight of The Fall Guy is seeing director David Leitch, writer Drew Pearce and the cast/crew craft a movie that pokes fun at how stunt people are treated in Hollywood and by the public, but also acts as a loving tribute to them. There’s even a joke in there about how stuntpeople don’t get to have an Oscars category dedicated to them (even though they deserve it), and after finishing The Fall Guy, you will probably have a different perspective and a much better appreciation for what stuntpeople do. That being said, The Fall Guy is not preachy at all because it manages to do all this while being funny and thrilling, as well as offering action and romance.

Emily Blunt is Judy Moreno in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch

There are also other self-aware and meta themes and jokes regarding other aspects of filmmaking beyond stunts, including meddling and overbearing producers. In fact, Hannah Waddingham plays into that stereotype as Gail Meyer, who feels like a less over-the-top version of Tom Cruise’s producer character, Les Grossman, from Tropic Thunder. What I’m saying is that if you love Tropic Thunder, you’ll love The Fall Guy. There are also inside jokes related to filmmaking that movie buffs will love, such as one outstanding joke involving the use of split screens in movies (older romcoms used to do this a lot).

Also, there’s plenty of action as well, though not as much as movies like John Wick or even David Leitch’s own previous movie, Bullet Train. Despite that, the action and choreography is great in The Fall Guy, and a lot of it is even done through actual practical stunts instead of CGI (this can be seen in a blooper reel when the movie ends). Again, Ryan Gosling is definitely the biggest reason why this movie works, and he delivers another funny yet layered performance akin to that of his role in The Nice Guys.

L to R: Emily Blunt is Judy Moreno and Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch

While I’ve been most praising The Fall Guy, it’s not a perfect movie by any means. The dialogue can be awkward and wonky sometimes, and the movie isn’t the most well-paced one out there. It runs about a bit more than two hours long, and there’s less action than the trailers would have you expect, usually featuring long stretches of conversations. Last but not least, the editing for The Fall Guy is perhaps the worst culprit, as many non-action scenes (which is to say, most of the movie) are choppily edited and have wonky transitions for some reason. This can sometimes break the immersion if you’re the type to notice this kind of thing.

Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch

He’s Just Colt

Ryan Gosling is Colt Seavers in THE FALL GUY, directed by David Leitch

The Fall Guy is perhaps one of David Leitch’s best movies yet, and it proves that he can do more than just simply action movies, though the flaws are still there. If you love Ryan Gosling flexing his comedic and action prowess, The Fall Guy is recommended, and after Barbie, it feels like he can do no wrong.

Oscars for stuntpeople, please! Oh, and wait for a while after the credits roll because, once the stunt blooper reel ends, there’s a post-credits scene.

FINAL SCORE: 80/100

We attended a press screening of The Fall Guy courtesy of United International Pictures Malaysia. The Fall Guy premieres in Malaysian cinemas with early screenings from 26 April 2024, before releasing on 2 May 2024.