It feels like an eternity since we had a big, bold, fun blockbuster to enjoy on the big screen. We’re all for the magnificence of Dune 2, Ghostbusters Frozen Empire breathed new life into its franchise and the Bob Marley and Amy Winehouse biopics were ok… but we’ve really been missing a big, fun movie, to keep us entertained for a couple of hours over a big bucket of popcorn.
Finally, the draught has come to an end, in the shape of The Fall Guy.
From real life stunt man and director David Leitch, the blockbuster director of Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and the producer of John Wick, Nobody and Violent Night, comes his most personal film yet. A new hilarious, hard-driving, all-star apex-action thriller and love letter to action movies and the hard-working and under-appreciated crew of people who make them: The Fall Guy.
Oscar® nominee Ryan Gosling (Barbie, La La Land, Drive) stars as Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman who, having left the business a year earlier to focus on both his physical and mental health, is drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie—being directed by his ex, Jody Moreno, played by Golden Globe winner Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place films, Sicario)—goes missing.
It could so easily have been awful, but that’s thankfully not the case. Gosling is brilliant, with far more than he had to do in Barbie, he reminds us not only that he can do comedy, but also that he can do action. Emily Blunt looks like she’s having the time of her life and Hannah Waddingham shines as unlikable Producer Gail Meyer.
At the heart of the film are stunts, and a real homage to the stunt men and women who bring our favourite blockbusters to life. And the stunts here are visually spectacular and beautifully executed.
As are the jokes, which are delivered with much skill by Blunt and Gosling, who are extremely likeable here and are one of the best movie pairings we’ve seen in a long time.
It felt like we all lived and breathed Barbie for months and at times, it felt like we’d never see Gosling as anything but Ken. Here, he reminds us of what he can do, and it’s bloody brilliant.
