The Fall Guy

This past weekend, I took a shot at this movie, and it did not disappoint. It's the story of a Hollywood stuntman who comes out of exile after being injured in an on-set accident, thinking the director (an ex-girlfriend he still cares about) specifically asked for him, only to find out that she knew nothing about it and doesn't want him anywhere near her movie. Meanwhile, the producer secretly calls on him to find their missing star, whose personal stunt double our hero was before his, um, fall from grace. Pretty soon he's mixed up in a deadly adventure that provides plenty of opportunity for stunts, while being framed for murder and having bad guys out to kill him. It's a plot to hang a spectacular series of stunts on, so I won't trouble you with any further synopsis.

According to a pre-show "welcome to our movie" video, director David Leitch used to be a stuntman. So, you know where his priorities lie. This movie abounds in chase scenes, fight scenes, plunges, leaps, car rolls, car jumps, speedboat jumps, helicopter hijinks, pyrotechnics and every conceivable combination thereof. It features a French-speaking dog trained to go for the gonads, a romantic subplot that'll get you in the feels, some hard-hitting action that'll get you in other body parts (sympathetically), big laughs and an over-the-top climax.

Ryan Gosling, late of Barbie, heads the cast as Colt Seavers, with Emily Blunt as his gal pal and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the missing movie star. Also in the cast are Stephanie Hsu (Oscar-nominated for Everything Everywhere All At Once), Winston Duke (Black Panther) and Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), along with some superstar cameos including one very special guest whose name you'll see in the closing credits before he ever shows up onscreen. Which reminds me to remind you: Stay for the mid-credits bonus scene. It won't be hard. There's an outtakes reel to keep you amused until it comes along.

So, in quick order, here are the Three Scenes That Made It For Me: (1) Blunt almost hands Gosling's keister to him when he surprises her in his trailer. (2) The running melee in the speeding garbage truck. (3) The insane final battle in which the bad guys take on the entire stunt department. There are so many ways I could spoil these scenes for you. See me refraining from doing so? You're welcome. Now, go see it and have a ball!