The Fall Guy Needs To Be Seen On The Biggest Screen Possible

The Fall Guy film is based on the 1980s show. For those who aren’t old enough to remember, the series aired from 1981 to 1986 and starred Lee Majors as a stunt performer who spent his nights as a bounty hunter. The episodes revolved around Majors’s character, Colt Seavers, and his friends confronting dangers and having adventures. It was a well-received show that had its time and faded into history. 

So, it was a big surprise to those of us who watched The Fall Guy four decades ago to see a film coming out with the same name. It couldn’t possibly be based on the show, could it? It turns out it could. Though it is loosely based, Colt Seavers is still the main character; he is a stuntman, and he does end up on an action-packed adventure for two hours on the big screen. 

In the film, the term the fall guy is used in multiple ways. Colt (Gosling) is a stuntman at the top of his career. He is a well-known stunt double for a huge star, Tom Ryder (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson. In the beginning of the movie, Colt takes a huge fall through the center of a building, only to break his back in an accident. Before his fall, we see him flirting with one of the camerawomen on set, Jody Moreon (Blunt). 

The two are in a relationship that seems to be going places. But the fall guy has fallen too hard this time, and he descends into a depression that has him pushing away the woman he loves and disappearing. Fast-forward 18 months after the accident, and we find Colt working as a valet in Los Angeles, trying desperately to be forgotten. Meanwhile, Jody has earned her way to the role of director; she is directing her first film in Australia. 

Then, Colt gets a call from Tom’s producer, Gail Meyer, played by the always fabulous Hannah Waddingham, that Jody has asked for Colt specifically to work on this epic sci-fi film, Metalstorm, as the fall guy for Tom because “Colt is the best.” Colt arrives on set to find the stunt coordinator, Dan Tucker, excited to see him again. Dan is played by Winston Duke, and let me just say that Duke needs more roles in Hollywood!

The action and adventure begin in The Fall Guy as Colt discovers Jody has no idea he is coming, and then he discovers the lead actor is missing. From dead bodies to LSD-laced drinks, and from fight scenes in a moving dump truck to karaoke sung in a darkly comedic bar, this movie really does it all. Each character plays his or her role to perfection, and the thrills are mixed beautifully with the laughs. 

REVIEW SCORE

The role of Colt Seavers in The Fall Guy is the ideal follow-up to Ken for Ryan Gosling, as he is still in full-on silly mode. Still, as a highly trained stunt double, he also gets to showcase his ability to execute marvelously choreographed fight moves. And Emily Blunt is just the best at everything she does. She’s smart, sassy, and endearing at every level. 

As if all of that were not enough, The Fall Guy delivers cameo after cameo, to the audience’s surprise and delight. I give this movie 4 stars out of 5 only because I think they could have shaved another 15 minutes off. It felt a bit long. And I highly recommend you see it on the big screen.