From 1981 to 1986, the legendary Lee Majors starred in the hit action-adventure television series, ‘The Fall Guy’, about a stunt performer who uses his skills to fight crime and went for five seasons with 113 episodes in total. The 2024 version of ‘The Fall Guy’ is a modern adaptation of the 80s TV series directed by David Leitch and starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The film is a love letter to stunt performers and all the hard work they do behind the scenes and is now showing in cinemas worldwide.

Colt Seavers was living life as a stunt performer in the film industry and was dating Jody Moreno who was part of the film crew. Everything changed after an accident on set almost ended his life and made him leave that career behind and hasn’t spoken to Jody since. Since his recovery, he’s been working as a valet and living a mundane life, never wanting to go back to stunt work. He becomes convinced after receiving a call to do stunt work on a new sci-fi action film, METALSTORM, which is being directed by Jody in her directorial debut. Colt sees this as an opportunity to win her back flies to Sydney, Australia and arrives on set, but she doesn’t seem too pleased to see him. Things get even more complicated when the star of the movie, Tom Ryder, who Colt has been the stunt double for in several films, doesn’t show up on the set, which could seriously jeopardise the film’s production. Colt volunteers to find him, but instead finds himself caught in the middle of a criminal conspiracy.

Colt Seavers was the character made famous by Lee Majors and is the only character being adapted from the 80’s TV series. Ryan Gosling’s portrayal is quite different but in certain ways has the same spirit as his 80s counterpart. Rather than trying to compete with Majors, he makes the character his own. Gosling was cast because of his diverse acting range which involves action, romance and comedy, and The Fall Guy is the perfect movie for him to showcase all three at once. Falling from buildings, falling from cars and falling in love again, his delivery is so well done that audiences will be laughing while also sympathising with him, while he’s also putting his body through hell with all the stunts on set and away from the set.

Emily Blunt portrays Jody Moreno, the director of METALSTORM and ex-girlfriend of Colt. She shows she still has feelings for Colt but also hasn’t forgiven him for not speaking to her for so long. Just to spite him, she orders him to repeat a stunt by getting thrown into a large rock over and over, which he does without objecting. She and Gosling have fantastic chemistry on screen together, which is the typical romance with a lot of awkward moments, a common trope in a lot of modern films, but is clearly done in a way that pokes fun at it and adds to the comedy. Even though she’s the main love interest, she’s never the damsel in distress and actually has many moments that make her a strong female character, not even needing to do many action scenes.

Former Kick-Ass star, Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Tom Ryder, a famous action star who Colt has been stunt doubling for, for many years. He’s not in the film as much, but still plays an important role and his face can be seen in all the movie posters throughout the film. When he does appear, he’s egotistical, full of himself and a real prima donna, receiving all the praise for his action films, despite Colt doing all of his stunts. The Fall Guy does an excellent job showing the hard work and dangers that stunt professionals have to go through and how much of a thankless job it can be, while the actors receive all the glory.

The movie also stars Winston Duke, Stephanie Hsu, Hannah Waddingham, plus Australian stars Matuse, Teresa Palmer, Adam Dunn, David Collins from the Umbilical Brothers and several more in various roles that Australian fans may recognise. Even Lee Majors himself from the original 80s TV series of The Fall Guy makes a surprise cameo, which longtime fans will appreciate.

Director David Leitch was actually a stunt performer himself and that is how he got his start in the film industry. He has performed stunts in ‘Fight Club’, ‘The Matrix’ films, ‘Troy’, ‘300’, ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’ and many more, and has also had small acting roles in various films and TV series. His directing credits include ‘John Wick’, ‘Deadpool 2’ and ‘Hobbs and Shaw’ just to name a few, so a movie all about a stuntman fighting crime makes him the perfect fit as the director.

The stunts throughout the movie will amaze audiences, even if some were done in front of a blue screen and used special effects to add to the environments. The beginning of the credits actually highlights this, showing various behind-the-scenes footage which also serves as a tribute to the hardworking stunt performers and film crew who help make the actors look good. Ryan Gosling had about five stunt doubles which include martial artist Justin Eaton for the fight scenes and stunt driver Logan Holladay for the vehicle action scenes. In one car scene in particular, Logan actually broke the Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car, with eight and a half rolls performed on screen. He even makes a cameo appearance helping Gosling get strapped into the car before a stunt, but ironically performs the stunt himself. In a way, life imitates art.

The movie and the movie within the movie were set and filmed in Sydney, Australia. It provides some great locations for the film’s story and of course action scenes. Australian viewers will get a kick out of seeing many familiar locations including various streets of the city, the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The film’s soundtrack was composed by Dominic Lewis, which includes the Taylor Swift song ‘All Too Well ’in a hilarious scene. A cover version by Blake Shelton of the opening theme song from the original TV series, ‘Unknown Stuntman ’which was originally sung by Lee Majors also appears in the film, which is a nice touch of nostalgia.

Even if the story drags a little in the middle, there is still so much to enjoy. The action scenes are over the top and exaggerated, with an overuse of explosions that would make Michael Bay jealous, but all in the best way that pokes fun at it all. It also delivers on the comedy with fantastic on-screen chemistry between the main stars. It honours the past and most importantly, it highlights all the hard work and dangers involved with performing stunts and the recognition they don’t get, but well and truly deserve. The film is truly a love letter to all the stunt men and women out there risking their lives just to help make a great action scene. The Fall Guy is literally a wild ride from start to finish and an incredibly fun action film should not be missed.

Written by: Sammy Hanson