Skip to main content

The Fall Guy | Review by: Gal Balaban



David Leitch continues to be a leading voice in action movies with his creative and passionate voice for action and comedy that often turns out star-studded and visually appealing. Much of the film’s charm comes from Ryan Gosling’s brilliant turn as Colt. Like his Oscar-nominated Ken in Barbie, Colt is a sad shell of a “cool guy” who’s too evidently madly in love. Gosling’s comedic timing is at the lightning speed of his Ken, or Holland March from The Nice Guys, and his big personality infuses Colt with a foolishly endearing heart. Emily Blunt also gives one of her most entertaining performances of late as the romantic lead, and Winston Duke is also loads of fun as Colt’s best friend and the film-within-a-film’s stunt coordinator, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, and Stephanie Hsu also round out the stellar cast. Waddingham in particular is very extravagant but delightful as Gail, the producer of the film Colt’s working on.


The most clever and thrilling part of The Fall Guy is that Leitch makes the movie stunt-filming scenes as high-stakes and exciting as the actual action scenes of the film. The great scale, dedication, and sound effects make shooting an action movie stunt feel like the incredible, hard-achieved feat that it really is. Additionally, the lightspeed humor feels effortless thanks to the writing, editing, and the cast’s delivery. The lively soundtrack does have a few generic and overused selections, but it’s not enough to sink this smooth romantic action comedy where all the different genre pieces play off each other pitch-perfectly. The director’s career as a stunt coordinator is made evident by the love and tribute to the stunts community here, in this blockbuster that’s hilariously pleasing and greatly worth the big screen price of admission.

Rating: 4/5



Review by: Gal Balaban






#thefallguy

Popular posts from this blog

Rating all V/H/S/Halloween Segments

Like sorting through your candy after a night of trick-or-treating, V/H/S/ Halloween is a mixed bag. The eighth instalment in this cult-favourite horror anthology series comes up short of previous entries, but there are still a couple of treats in here that should satisfy your twisted cravings. A chilling still from V/H/S/ Halloween . Diet Phantasma This wraparound segment follows an R&D team testing a new low-calorie soda made with “real ghosts.” It’s silly fun, but gets a bit repetitive with each new test subject. The commercial playing during the end credits was a nice touch. Rating: ★★½☆ Coochie Coochie Coo This short feels like walking through a haunted house — but not in a good way. The plot is like something torn from a creepypasta thread. Everything is constantly being spelled out in a painfully obvious way. The practical effects and makeup are decent, and this is probably the only segment that comes close to being scary...
Read more

The Mandalorian Season 3 Review

  Listen, I love Star Wars. I will always love Star Wars.  The  original and prequel trilogies were a big part of my childhood, and helped shape my love of cinema. While  The   Mandalorian  isn’t among my favourites in  the  franchise, I thought it had a promising first season and a significantly stronger season two. Season three had so much potential, but a frustrating lack of focus held it back from greatness.  This show’s always had a bit of an identity crisis, but it’s never been as clear as it is here. Does it want to be a procedural-style adventure of  the  week, or tell an epic, multi-season spanning arc? Season one leaned toward  the  former, while Season two found a satisfying balance of both. Season three tries to find that balance, but  the  overarching story it wants to tell is bigger than  the  few episodes allotted to do so. There are only 8 chapters, some barely over 30 min. That’s a fair...
Read more

Andor Season 1 Review

I’m going to make a bold statement here, but one I honestly believe to be true. Andor is the best Star Wars has been since the Original Trilogy. Fans in search of epic space battles, lightsaber duels, or a direct connection to the Skywalker Saga may walk away disappointed. However, those in search of a deeper, more mature entry in this long-standing franchise will bask in everything the show has to offer. Star Wars has always been more focused on telling a big, sweeping story filled with exciting action sequences. The galaxy always felt huge, but it never really felt full. Andor changes all of that, with a grounded and personal story unlike anything Star Wars has given us before. This is a thoughtfully constructed, character-driven series that adds depth and life to the galaxy in ways none of the movies or shows have been able to. With twelve episodes, this is the longest Disney Plus series yet, giving the story ample room to breathe and develop at a natural pace. It smartly avoids the...
Read more