May 112 min read

FILM REVIEW: THE FALL GUY (12A) ESP RATING: 3.5/5

This modern-day re-imagining of the legendary TV series reaches some stellar heights – mainly due to the electric chemistry between its lead stars.

There’s no doubting the spot on pairing of Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt papers over a few intermittent ‘cracks’ in this action-comedy – fairly predictable storyline, few comedic misfires etc – but for the most part, this is entertaining fun.

Which also tries to be a little bit different as a ‘love letter’ to the unsung heroes of cinema – the death-defying stuntmen behind-the-scenes.

The relationship between this and the original early eighties Lee Majors-led series is in the name alone. Gosling’s stuntman Colt Seavers is nothing like Majors’ (who does cameo in a mid-credits scene) grizzled veteran, as this actioner from the director of Bullet Train (and co-director of John Wick), David Leitch, is its own entity.

After breaking his back when a high velocity stunt goes wrong, superstar stunt supremo Colt has been lying low – feeling sorry for himself – after being out of action for a year.

Out of the blue, he gets a call from producer friend Gail (Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham), saying his former flame Jody Moreno (Blunt) is directing her first feature film (sci-fier Metalstorm) and is desperate for his expert stunt mastery – which entices him back to the fold on this Australian-set blockbuster.

But when it comes to light that famous action film star Tom Ryder (Leitch’s Bullet Train star Aaron Taylor-Johnson) – who Colt usually stunts for – has gone AWOL, Colt then has to turn sleuth to get to the bottom of the mystery.

And while what ensues isn’t going to win an Oscar Screenplay award, it unfolds in a satisfactorily charming fashion – interspersed with some noteworthy high-octane sequences and comedy set-pieces between Gosling/Blunt.

The one where Colt has joined the set of the film, and feels the cleverly-targeted ‘wrath’ of Jody, is arguably the highlight of them. Admittedly, there’s once or twice when the comedy didn’t hit the right tune, but for the most part it makes the film.

Sadly, early box-office shows it may struggle to find exactly what its target demographic is – which is a shame for Gosling/Blunt – but this is undoubtedly a solid opening salvo to the official start of the summer season.

Because this ‘Guy’ definitely ‘soars’ more than it ‘falls’.

ESP Rating: 3.5/5

Gavin Miller