David Leitch is great. Everything he touches is just fun, and The Fall Guy is no exception. Leitch follows up Bullet Train with another fast paced funny hit. This really felt like the first "real" of 2024 that everyone can enjoy. It's funny, the action is top notch, and the leads are, as always, beautiful. Lets dive in.
The Concept
It's a movie about a stunt man, who is doing classic stunts because he is a stunt man, but it is actually Gosling's stunt men doing the stunt action in this movie about stunt guys. It's perfect. Watching each stunt just feels so bizarre because the movie has you SO focused on the fact it's an actual stunt guy doing those incredible action pieces, and it really makes you think about the career in general. So each stunt just feels bigger and better because of it. And each stunt is perfect for it's role in the movie, especially the car chase and the boat one. And the fight scenes are very well done too, each punch/hit feels brutal, which once again is due to the work of incredible stunt men! This movie needs a shout out for an incredible single cut scene at the beginning too, when Gosling goes on set of the movie for the first time, it's subtle and very well done.
The Cast
Blunt and Gosling have good chemistry, it's clearly not Stone Gosling chemistry, but NOTHING is that good. Winston Duke crushes every scene he is in, and makes a wonderful partner for Gosling to mess around with. Aaron Taylor Johnson (who I love) is a delight as the villain, for the very limited screen time he gets, I'd seriously watch him in anything. Gosling is obviously the star, again, stealing each scene with his natural charisma, wit, and charm. But a BIG shout out to Jean Claude, the best boy in the entire film. Including the dog was perfect, hilarious, and SO sudden it just comes as a total shock.
The Fun
As I said in the intro, this feels like the first fun movie of the year. No stakes, no drama, just pure fun. You can tell the cast is having a great time, and that everyone involved in making the movie put their hearts into it. It's clever, funny, and is the perfect kick off to what is hopefully an excellent summer of movies. As much as this movie does not need a sequel, I hope it gets one. And the choice to use the same bit of "I Was Made For Loving You" as the cue for any stunt/action scene was such a funny choice, it just fit perfectly.
Summary
A classic (almost) summer blockbuster that has charm, cleverness, and some of the best practical effects action sequences you'll see in any film this year. Gosling once again does not disappoint.
Score: 8/10
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