Bullet Train is one of the most talked about films I’ve come across in recent years. It’s one of those films that people asked “Have you watched Bullet Train?” and I answer “Yes, of course”. It delighted audiences with fantastic action and a good sense of humour as well. David Leitch has really settled into his own style and is delivering the best action films in recent years.
The Fall Guy stars Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a stunt man who is brought back into the industry after a bad accident. Producer, Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) brings him back to work on his former colleague and lover, Jody Moreno’s (Emily Blunt set, but it’s actually to help her find star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who has gone missing.
It would be hard not to talk about the fantastic stunt set pieces, a couple of unique ones which set it apart from being a generic action film, and it had to be. But the big lesson from this film is just how great stunt performers are and underappreciated in the industry. I hope a lot of filmmakers watch this film and notice how much better the film is for it, because if they changed all those action sequences to CGI it definitely wouldn’t have worked as well. I appreciate it’s hard not to do that for a superhero, but CGI is there to enhance and use when it’s not possible for stunts, not at every opportunity because it’s cheaper. It’s also a much bigger risk and I would take practical stunts over computer generated effects every single time.
Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw and Bullet Train will all be joined by The Fall Guy in David Leitch’s catalogue of strong action films (yes, I like Hobbs & Shaw more than most). He’s also managed to refine his style to have a perfect blend of action and comedy. The tone lands perfectly well, particularly in this one which already has a strong sense of self awareness, breaking the fourth wall a couple of times to nudge the audience, and with plenty of references to other movies.
Ryan Gosling does a fantastic job helping deliver than tone and is the perfect person for the role. Gosling has become such a fan favourite after his Oscar nominated role as Ken in Barbie, but always been an interesting actor to watch picking a diverse range of characters, seemingly wanting to tick as many boxes as possible, not having any role be the same as anything he’s ever done before. He delivers another strong performance as the stuntman, and looks like he’s having a great time doing so, as well as having great chemistry with every other single actor he works with.
The rest of the cast also do a fantastic job, particularly Emily Blunt who is clearly having a great time in her fun role as a director, getting to reference the many directors she has worked with over the years. It’s a unique role, and one she delivers to the perfect level for what the film requires to meet the tone set by Leitch.
If there is anything that let’s this film down for me it was the story, not all the twists and turns work me and the story at times feels a little generic when I wish it would do more. A cleverer and more unique plot would definetly have benefitted what is already a highly enjoyable film.
The Fall Guy is a very enjoyable action film, which perhaps does tick an extra couple of boxes for me because of the subject matter and references to the film industry being so close to my heart. Unfortunately, I can see the film falling at the box office, and having a second life on streaming similar to what Bullet Train did, but hopefully it will be talked about in the same way once general audiences find the film and learn the lesson they should be watching these in the cinema.
What did you think of The Fall Guy?
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