The Fall Guy is an entertaining film with a great cast that, ultimately, falls short of being a smash hit and lands comfortably in the zone of "fun".
First off; the practical effects in this movie are incredible. In an era of green screens and CGI, the Fall Guy will remind anyone over the age of 40 of going to the movies and watching TV as a kid. Flaming boats, falls from buildings, jumps, people on fire... it's all there. Every glorious bone breaking thud you remember as a kid will burst its way back into your subconscious and you'll love it. If you are a fan of action films, particularly old school action films, this movie is worth the price of admission, full stop.
I burst out laughing, despite myself, several times in the theater. Ryan Gosling absolutely nails the dry humor of the protagonist, and the situational comedy of some of the scenes is sublime.
It's a credit to Emily Blunt's acting chops that she really comes off as a love interest here vs the bad ass that we all know and love. She does a great job with Jody's love for film, and I think there's real chemistry between her and Gosling on film.
David Leitch is going to become one of the greatest action Directors of our era. It's impossible for this not to happen. Some of the shots on this film, particularly with car chases or hand to hand fighting, are CRAZY. He also does some brilliant camera work with both a split screen sequence and a fight scene at the club with digital effects that are great.
So what's the problem? First, and this is an opinion, but the music / soundtrack usage in this movie is brutal. The songs are not great, and they take a fun romp / romance movie and drag it into ultra-shmaltzville. I get what he was trying to do, but edit it down, PLEASE. I went from loving the movie to wanting to crawl out of the theater during several musical interludes. With a better score or soundtrack, this movie is an 8 or 9.
Second, and this is probably the biggest issue, is pacing. The movie is brilliant when it's rolling. With some editing, tighter cuts, or just brisker pace in parts, it would sizzle. Gosling saves the movie here a few times, as only he can, but man is it clunky in places.
Overall, this is a good movie and worth seeing in theaters. The fact that it was so close to great hurts a lot, but like the Fall Guy, you get back up when you get hit.
PS - Jean Claude is one of the best animal sidekicks I've seen in film. What a guy.
First off; the practical effects in this movie are incredible. In an era of green screens and CGI, the Fall Guy will remind anyone over the age of 40 of going to the movies and watching TV as a kid. Flaming boats, falls from buildings, jumps, people on fire... it's all there. Every glorious bone breaking thud you remember as a kid will burst its way back into your subconscious and you'll love it. If you are a fan of action films, particularly old school action films, this movie is worth the price of admission, full stop.
I burst out laughing, despite myself, several times in the theater. Ryan Gosling absolutely nails the dry humor of the protagonist, and the situational comedy of some of the scenes is sublime.
It's a credit to Emily Blunt's acting chops that she really comes off as a love interest here vs the bad ass that we all know and love. She does a great job with Jody's love for film, and I think there's real chemistry between her and Gosling on film.
David Leitch is going to become one of the greatest action Directors of our era. It's impossible for this not to happen. Some of the shots on this film, particularly with car chases or hand to hand fighting, are CRAZY. He also does some brilliant camera work with both a split screen sequence and a fight scene at the club with digital effects that are great.
So what's the problem? First, and this is an opinion, but the music / soundtrack usage in this movie is brutal. The songs are not great, and they take a fun romp / romance movie and drag it into ultra-shmaltzville. I get what he was trying to do, but edit it down, PLEASE. I went from loving the movie to wanting to crawl out of the theater during several musical interludes. With a better score or soundtrack, this movie is an 8 or 9.
Second, and this is probably the biggest issue, is pacing. The movie is brilliant when it's rolling. With some editing, tighter cuts, or just brisker pace in parts, it would sizzle. Gosling saves the movie here a few times, as only he can, but man is it clunky in places.
Overall, this is a good movie and worth seeing in theaters. The fact that it was so close to great hurts a lot, but like the Fall Guy, you get back up when you get hit.
PS - Jean Claude is one of the best animal sidekicks I've seen in film. What a guy.
