There is too much frantic action, not enough story nor snappy dialogue in this first Summer Blockbuster. But seeing two of the most popular actors from last year’s mega-hit movies play off each other in this chaotic, loud, explosion-packed romcom is, at times, entertaining. Director Leitch, a former stunt man himself, has directed a myriad of action-charged films including Bullet Train, John Wick, Fast and Furious and Atomic Blonde. He worked with writers Drew Pearce and Glen A. Larson for this one.
Accidents on movie sets happen, but one huge mistake put super stunt man, Colt Seavers, (Ryan Gosling) out of the business, 5 years ago. It changed his life, putting the brakes on his relationship with the love of his life, Jody (Emily Blunt). He’s now relegated to parking cool cars at a restaurant.
In his past life, like everyone in the stunt community, he got blown up, shot, vehicular crashes, thrown through windows and dropped from head spinning heights, all for our entertainment. Out of the blue, he gets a phone call from producer Gail Meyer, (played by Hannah Waddingham as a loud mouth brunette) who wants him get back in the game to work with his true love in Australia.
Jody (Emily Blunt) is the beautiful, talented camera person who got her big chance to direct. She moved on after Colt had his accident and disappeared from the movie business. Their backstory, as well as the connections with others on the movie set waste time as all the exposition gets explained. It gets very confusing trying to figure out who are the good guys and bad guys as the hand-to-hand fight scenes play out.
This is a movie showing off more stunts than story. Even though Colt suffered a serious injury that broke his back, he’s back taking extreme bodily punishment with not even a wince. It just doesn’t follow and is an example of how the script is neither well conceived nor thought out.
Some of comedic set pieces didn’t work, especially the one where they’re using bull horns aimed at providing double entendre ripe with points about their relationship, digging up the grievances with each other. Went on too long and became a bore. They tried the same technique with walkie-talkies which was just as ineffective.
Gosling, as Colt, is the stunt body double the big star Tom Ryder. Predictably Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is a vain, petulant, scene stealing narcissist. When Ryder goes missing, Colt is tasked with finding him to save the Sci-Fi movie Jody is directing. There are a few more obnoxious characters in the film who become more of a distraction than for any other purpose. Unfortunately, Stephanie Hsu’s character (Alma) gets lost with everything blowing up around her. She spends most of her time on camera throwing punches in the cab of a truck.
Gosling works hard and is engaging. He just keeps taking punishing blows, falls and crashes, no matter how many takes for HIS poor stunt double. Watching extreme rollover crashes, taking brutal blows and flying through glass and riding dumpsters scraping and sparking the pavement at high speed keep Gosling and his stunt team hopping. But it gets so outrageous and prolonged, it loses effect. But the total chaos, especially of a ridiculously prolonged helicopter action sequence, is the height of the ludicrous lengths Director Leitch takes to try to keep you riveted. It’s just too over-the-top.
Gosling works hard and is engaging. He just keeps taking punishing blows, falls and crashes, no matter how many takes for HIS poor stunt double. Watching extreme rollover crashes, taking brutal blows and flying through glass and riding dumpsters scraping and sparking the pavement at high speed keep Gosling and his stunt team hopping. But it gets so outrageous and prolonged, it loses effect. But the total chaos, especially of a ridiculously prolonged helicopter action sequence, is the height of the ludicrous lengths Director Leitch takes to try to keep you riveted. It’s just too over-the-top.
Leitch goes for laughs with Easter Eggs and some surprise cameos that aren’t all that surprising. Blunt and Gosling have good chemistry. We wished their characters in this film had more of the fun banter they engaged in at the Oscars. The love story suffers with all the booms and bangs in this overdue love letter to stuntmen. There’s plenty to see, but The Fall Guy stumbles.
Universal Pictures. 2 hours 6 minutes. PG-13
