This filmic celebration of stunt performers throws a lot of ideas at the wall. Luckily, most of them stick. Renowned 'stuntie' David Leitch, who got his break as Brad Pitt's double on Fight Club, directs this script from Drew Pearce, the pen behind one of the best Marvel outings, Iron Man 3. If you're older than, let's say 45, you might remember the well-watched TV series, The Fall Guy, created by TV ploymath, Glen A. Larson. I still recall a truism from Colt Seavers (Lee Majors) to his offsider about not driving down a hill on an angle, else you're liable to flip the car. Why I have retained this nugget is beyond me but the show certainly left a mark (I'm sure it hasn't aged well, though). Would the film version live up to 10-year-old me's expectations?
My reservations were assuaged pretty much as soon as Ryan Gosling started his voice-over. The film opens in a classical 'good spot', where Colt (yes, they kept the name) is enjoying his job as stunt double for dickhead star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), but more so, enjoying his romantic time with camera operator, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). This opening sequence sets the film's tone - breezy, charming and, crucially, very funny. But soon disaster strikes. An error in a 'high fall' sees Colt in hospital with a broken back. Cut to 18 months down and out in rehab and a call from Ryder's producer, Gail (Hannah Waddingham) entices him back to location, the news that the film is being directed by old flame, Jody, an obvious sweetener. On arrival - and after a frankly bonkers car cannon roll - he learns the main reason for his return is to find the missing movie star, Tom. Dut dut daaaah.
Look, there's enough story to fill three of four episodes of the old TV show here, but that's really not the point. In fact, the plot wouldn't look out of place in any 80s programme of this ilk; Knight Rider, B.J. and the Bear, Magnum P.I. or a couple referenced in the film, Miami Vice and The Six Million Dollar Man. In a nutshell, it's a fucking ludicrous potboiler. But here's the twist - as a kid, I loved every one of those shows. And that's what this film is here for. Nostalgia.
But like so many other 80's 'cover' films that have sunk (hello, Joe Carnahan's The A-Team), I reckon this has much more going for it. For one thing, it's riding the Gozzle popularity wave, and to a slightly lesser extent, the Blunt ripple. The Sydney location adds a level of interest, especially here down under. But mostly, Pearce's script crackles. Blunt and Gosling have a screwball comedy vibe going on, Blunt in particular snaps off lines like a modern-day Rosalind Russell or Katherine Hepburn. Gosling brings his The Nice Guys comic timing to this, he takes insult and injury extremely well, and his line delivery is brilliant ("I never forget a fist").
Teresa Palmer also has a smashing little cameo as Ryder's girlfriend - and she gets to bring the word 'povvo' to world audiences. Pearce also plants a line in this scene that pays off triumphantly later in the film. The film-in-a-film device gives free reign to play around with parallelism - Colt and Jody are represented by the characters in the film she's trying to finish, MetalStorm (incidentally, this is an actual film from 1983, MetalStorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, right down to the fantastic/shit tagline, 'It's High Noon at the End of the Universe').
Of course, there are some amazing set pieces: a fight within a skip bin truck chase, a drug-induced, fluorescent night club brawl (and how do you know when the drug wears off?). The final confrontation is quite naff, albeit with a nifty car jump and some fun helicopter scuffling. Music also plays a role, with some cheesy tracks including the Phil Collins classic, Against All Odds and Kiss's I Was Made for Lovin' You. I swear I even heard a snatch of Zimmer's Dune soundtrack in one scene.
Not for everyone, but if you give yourself over to the nonsense and sentimentality, you'll have a blast. The Fall Guy opens April 24th around the country.
See also:
Gosling is great with Russell Crowe in Shane Black's The Nice Guys (2016). And for some more tasty screwball, have a look at His Girl Friday (1940), directed by Howard Hawks.
(Film stills and trailer ©Universal, 2024)
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