The Fall Guy

Directed by David Leitch, The Fall Guy follows stunt man Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) as he attempts to solve the disappearance of an erratic movie star (Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Tom Ryder). It’s an appealing premise that’s employed to watchable yet thoroughly hit-and-miss effect by Leitch, as the filmmaker, armed with Drew Pearce’s screenplay, delivers a relentlessly slick actioner that’s been suffused with a gleefully (and oppressively) over-the-top feel from start to finish – with the picture’s far-from-gritty atmosphere preventing the viewer from wholeheartedly embracing the overstuffed narrative. It’s clear, then, that The Fall Guy benefits substantially from Gosling’s predictably commanding (and completely magnetic) turn as the affable central character, while supporting players Emily Blunt, Winston Duke, and Hannah Waddingham provide able (and entertaining) color around the movie’s margins – which ensures that the plethora of video-game-like action sequence are generally far more tolerable than one might’ve anticipated. (It’s just odd, though, that a picture revolving around stunt performers would boast such unapologetically CGI-heavy sheen.) By the time the larger-than-life climax rolls around, The Fall Guy has cemented its place as a decent-enough endeavor that does, for the most part, feel like it should be much, much better. (And why does it run over two hours?)

**1/2 out of ****