- Director : David Leitch
- Actors : Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham
- Studio : Studio Distribution Services
- MPAA rating : PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 2
- Media Format : 4K
- Run time : 2 hours and 6 minutes
- Release date : July 23, 2024
With a cast
member from both Barbie and Oppenheimer and a soundtrack that prominently
includes Taylor Swift, The Fall Guy looked to be a film formulated to be
a success by the film industry. And its failure shows that there are some
things that can’t be controlled, including what audiences will be interested in,
and efforts to repeat the fluke that was Barbenheimer are likely to fail
because of this. The fact that last summer had a bleak biopic as one of the
biggest hits should prove that nobody knows anything, but regardless of box
office success, The Fall Guy is still a fun time at the movies. Efforts
to bleed a bit more from the stone also resulted in an extended cut of the film
(released for purchase online soon enough after the theatrical release to
indicate studio’s lack of faith in the theatrical success), which is included as
an extra on the 4K release.
Though most
audiences were likely unaware, The Fall Guy is based on a mostly forgotten
TV series from the 1980s. While the show starring Lee Majors was about stuntman
who moonlights as a bounty hunter, the film adaptation follows an injured
stuntman who is framed for a crime and forced to clear his own name. When a
stunt goes horribly wrong and injures Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), his career falters
despite years making movie star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) look good.
Despite his resignation to a life parking cars at a Mexican restaurant, Seavers
is convinced to take a job as stuntman on Ryder’s newest blockbuster because it
is being directed by his ex-girlfriend, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), even though
she is unaware of his return.
What starts as a
romantic comedy blended with a satire of the film industry becomes complicated
even further when Seavers is sent by the film’s producer (Hannah Waddingham) to
find Ryder, who is mysteriously missing from production. When Ryder’s former stuntman
shows up dead, Seavers is pulled into a murder investigation to clear his name
and save Jody’s film. It is all pretty standard stuff, elevated only slightly
by a strong cast. Director David Leitch proved capable of making dumb action
comedies with Bullet Train, which he continues in slightly more watered-down
form here. It is all entertaining in a predictably generic way, making it a
nice diversion when looking for something to watch that doesn’t take much
thought.
While most
extended cuts included in home entertainment releases are merely a marketing
ploy to get fans of the theatrical version to spend more money, The Fall Guy
extended cut is twenty-minutes longer with some fun additions that actually
make it worthwhile. I wouldn’t say the longer version is necessarily better,
but it is more of what made the theatrical film fun. Both versions are included
on separate 4K discs in this package, with a third disc for the Blu-ray copy. There
is also a digital code included for downloading or streaming the theatrical
version of the film.
Both the Blu-ray
and the 4K disc of the theatrical version also include over an hour of extras,
including an extremely fun gag reel, alternate takes, and featurettes on the
stunt work accomplished for the film, which includes a record-breaking car roll
that is simultaneously a key sequence in the plot. There is also a featurette
on the action choreography in specific sequences and one on the meta references
made in the film about the film industry. Available on both theatrical and
extended cuts of the film is a commentary track with director/producer David
Leitch and producer Kelly McCormick.
Entertainment Value:
8.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7.5/10
Historical
Significance: 6/10
Special Features: 9/10
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