The Fall Guy – Stunt performer, Colt Seavers, suffers a terrible injury during a film shoot and shuts himself away from the world. When he gets word that his former love, Jody, is directing her first movie and wants him on the shoot, he anxiously returns to the world of stunts. However, the disappearance of the movie’s arrogant star means Jody’s big moment is at risk. Can Colt get to the bottom of the mystery and survive long enough to tell Jody how he feels? 

The Fall Guy (2024) – Director: David Leitch

Rating: 12

Running Length: 126  minutes

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Genres: Action, Comedy

REVIEW: ‘THE FALL GUY’

Loosely based on the TV series of the same name of the 1980’s, ‘The Fall Guy’ follows stunt man, Colt Seavers, who suffers a terrible injury during a routine stunt and, initially reluctant to return to his career, leaps back in feet first when he discovers his former love, Jody wants him for her directorial debut. Having proven his comedic abilities previously (The Nice Guys and Barbie), Ryan Gosling is an easy choice for a dead-pan but engaging leading man who can handle all the stunts and action scenes thrown his way.

The movie itself struggles to find its focus with Colt being thrown from one dangerous situation to the next, seemingly to ensure there are plenty of edge of your seat moments and as such the movie feels a good 20 minutes longer than it needs to be. Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Tom Ryder (a clear parody of Tom Cruise) is underused and more scenes with him would have given an extra layer to Gosling and Blunt’s dynamic.

‘The Fall Guy’ balances all elements of action, comedy, romance and mystery well to make for a fun movie that bursts onto the screen with plenty of bombastic joy and, despite any criticisms we may level at it, we still loved every second!

CONTENT: IS ‘THE FALL GUY’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The film opens with several shots of stunt performers crashing through windows, falling from heights, etc. The dialogue makes it clear that these are all stunts and no-one is hurt. However, it is then stated that sometimes real accidents happen and a rider on a motorbike is hit by a car. It is unlikely that any lasting damage is done and it is not meant to be distressing.

Colt and Jody are shown cuddling and kissing in a trailer; they are fully clothed and this does not become sexual.

Colt dangles from a wire high up, he performs a controlled fall but when he gets close to the ground the camera cuts to black and screams are heard.

Colt casually speaks to another character while getting prepared for a stunt. He is then set on fire and begins to act, running and flailing his arms. He is never in any distress here and it is obvious he is fine throughout.

Jody implies to Colt in public that she has had several dates/lovers since their break-up and says ‘it was like a sushi train’.

Colt goes to a nightclub and is drugged. There is then a fight seen which is stylised due to the hallucinations Colt is having. Punches are thrown and bottles smashed over heads but this is done as comedic action and isn’t overly violent.

A character says that certain people are ‘so far up my arse I can taste them’.

A character sees a dead body in a bath tub. Some blood is seen around the neck but this isn’t too gory.

A video shows a bizarre half-naked wrestling match in a hotel room. A woman has her legs wrapped around a man’s neck and hangs down with her head near the floor. A character describes the scene as a ‘drug-induced shirtless shit-show grappling match’.

Two characters are tasered.

A major character is doused in petrol and the boat he is on crashes into tankers and there is a big explosion. It appears that this character has been killed.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘THE FALL GUY’ FOR KIDS?

‘The Fall Guy’ blends several genres perfectly but above all, the action and comedy is what we’re all here for. With a lot of bad language and an overarching plot around murder and conspiracy, this isn’t a movie that’s be made for kids. However it mostly stays within a a more light-hearted level of violence rather than anything too gritty; therefore we would recommend it for kids aged 12 and over.

• Violence: 4/5 (lots of fighting and action scenes. A character is hit in the face with a road sign, a dog bites a man’s crotch and another man is punched in the face, he then spits out some blood)
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (a character is believed to have been killed, however the scene soon shows a different outcome)
• Fear Factor: 0/5
• Sexual Content: 3/5 (Some innuendo. When discussing films, Colt and Jody describe a prostitute character as ‘a lady of the night’ and that she will ‘go back to the streets’)
• Bad Language: 5/5 (frequent moderate cursing throughout the film. One strong word is uttered and in a text message a character writes ‘ducking autocorrect!’)
• Dialogue: 3/5 (discussions of murder, threat of torture. The dialogue is geared towards an adult audience and is not designed to be child-friendly)
• Other Notes: deals with themes of life-altering injuries, lost love, anxiety around returning to an old life, difficulty in communicating emotions, dangerous jobs, loyalty and supporting loved ones.

Words by Laura Record