Movies are huge artistic undertakings where hundreds or thousands of individuals cooperate to recount a story. Numerous production assistants, stagehands and stunt performers go unnoticed, while a small number of stars and working actors are given credit. Every movie you’ve seen, every overturned car or explosion, was the work of an unknown stunt person who risked their life for your entertainment. David Leitch’s The Fall Guy tells the story not of the movie stars on the posters, but of the stunt people who put them there.
Loosely based on the ABC television series in the early ‘80s, the 2024 American action comedy film, The Fall Guy is bringing the story to the big screen. In the television series, Colt Seavers, a stuntman played by Lee Majors, collects extra cash by using the skills he learned on sets to catch criminals. He does this with the help of his cousin, Howie Munson, played by Douglas Barr, and stunt colleague, Jody Banks, played by Heather Thomas. It is clear to viewers that throughout the series, Seavers always catches the bad guy but never the girl. The show premiered in November 1981 and ran for five seasons before ending in May 1986.
On the other hand, the film features Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a stuntman, and Emily Blunt as Jody Moreno, a director. Seavers gets a gig running stunts on the set of his ex-girlfriend, Jody’s new blockbuster movie. He is fresh off an almost career-ending accident when Tom Ryder, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, goes missing. Fueled by the idea of winning Jody back, Seavers steps in and decides to play hero instead of stunt double.
Before going into the theater, we watched the trailer. Due to this, we expected this action-heavy rom-com to be confusing and boring. We assumed the casting team spent all their money on picking big actors and left a small sum for writing and sets.
Despite our expectations, we would watch it again. While we have seen other directors produce a movie within a movie, we have never seen one so unique. There was a perfect amount of action and the fight scenes themselves didn’t drag on and bore us. In addition, the romance aspect was fun and full of the witty banter we saw in the trailer. Such as when Jody says to Colt “You look terrible” and he replies with “You look amazing”. This movie also had us laughing the entire time even during the “serious” scenes.
However, we think the best part of the movie was its focus on the unrecognized stunt community. The movie opened with David Leitch and Ryan Gosling giving a huge thank you to every stunt double out there and closed with footage of the actors on set with their stunt doubles. According to the Associated Press, since 1990, about 43 stunt performers have died on sets in the United States and over 150 have been left with life-altering injuries. In addition, AP found that when actors such as Dylan O’brien’s concussion and facial injuries on the set of “Maze Runner The Death Cure” and Harrison Ford’s broken leg on the set of the seventh “Star Wars” film got worldwide coverage but stunt performers do not get the same treatment and recognition.
It also created some nostalgia for the diehard fans of the television series when the two officers featured in the end credits are played by Lee Majors and Heather Thomas, the show’s very own Colt and Jody.
This movie combines thrilling action sequences with comedic and romantic moments that kept us engaged from start to finish. The stunts are impressive and the cast delivers beautiful performances. Overall, it’s a fun and entertaining movie that we think is definitely worth watching.
“It [the movie] is sort of a love letter to the stunt community,” Director David Leitch said.