Despite an unspectacular opening weekend, “The Fall Guy” is an entertaining and engaging ride. It’s based on a 1980s TV show of the same title starring Lee Majors.
In this version we have Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a stunt man who never shows his face because he’s a body double for big Hollywood action megastar Tom Ryder, portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson (“Bullet Train,” “The King’s Man).
The plot involves Emily Blunt as filmmaker Jody Moreno, Colt’s old flame, who’s getting her big chance in the director’s chair to make an action epic. Ryder disappears, trying to pull a fast one on Colt and attempting to place the blame for a serious crime on his former stunt double.
Director David Leitch, who called the shots on “Atomic Blonde” and “Bullet Train,” does a good job with the action sequences. He knows how to place his camera. He doesn’t resort to super quick cuts a la Michael Day. He just places his camera and lets the action sequences speak for themselves.
Ironically, Blunt (“Oppenheimer”) and Gosling (“Barbie”) were in two of last year’s top grossing three movies. (“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” was No. 2) They have great screen chemistry in this one.
Blunt’s Jody loathes Colt’s devil-may-care attitude, especially his casual “everything’s fine” thumbs-up after every death-defying stunt.
In one fast-paced car sequence, Colt buckles an attack dog along for the ride into the seat for safety precautions. Dog lovers shouldn’t worry, though, this furry friend is around for the closing credits. There are lots of plot twists and turns, but this is all part of the shenanigans. I was smiling throughout because it was so much fun to watch.
“The Fall Guy,” which kicked-off the summer movie season, had a lackluster opening weekend with a below-than-expected $28 million debut. It could gain momentum as word-of-mouth spreads about this fun-loving actioner where the actors seem to be having as much fun as the audience.
Grade: A-
