This love letter to action movie stunts from the man who co-directed the humour and thrills for a holiday lm
John Wick
debut. The lm, Metalstorm, is a sci- epic with a love story between a space cowboy and an alien. When Colt lands in Sydney, however, he nds himself involved in a giant conspiracy. Tom is involved with some nasty people and is missing, and Gail needs Colt to nd Tom quickly, or else the production will be shut down and Jody’s dreams of making a lm will be quashed forever.
Jody, on the other hand, has not forgiven Colt for breaking up with her and gets her ery revenge on set. Tom’s assistant, Alma Milan, (Stephanie Hsu) has a vital clue.
The deeper Colt digs — through a maelstrom of movie references from Notting Hill to James Bond and Jason Bourne — the more worms come out.
Everything becomes clear at the end of a ash-bang chase sequence involving a crucial recording, cannon rolls and a whirring chopper.
The Fall Guy is pure bliss. Based on a television show from the 80s, the movie, according to Leitch, is “a love letter to stunts.” Leitch, who co-directed John Wick de nitely knows a thing or two about them. The stunts are practical, including the Guinness record breaking eight-and-a-half cannon car rolls, to give that much needed authenticity to a movie set in the world of stunts; the exquisitely-choreographed stunts surely earned Chris O’Hara the title of stunt designer.
The prop gun and rubber tomahawk bring a smile to our faces as does Tom’s dog, Jean Claude (har har) who only understands commands in French. Colt and his best friend, stunt coordinator Dan (Winston Duke) quoting lines and plays from the greatest action movies ever, including Rocky and The Last of the Mohicans, is smartly self-referential, as is Colt and Jody brainstorming on the feasibility of a split screen on a split screen while Jody massages her temples with a prop alien hand.
Gosling and Blunt have super chemistry with Blunt doing a mean karaoke. The stunts are jaw-dropping, the action thrilling and the jokes on the right side of meta. This is a love letter one can read and enjoy over and over again.
The Fall Guy is currently running in theatres