The sky's the limit for Ryan Gosling - a fella that's afraid of heights in real life.
After the box office bonanza of Barbie and stealing the show on the Oscars and, more recently, Saturday Night Live, Gosling's great run continues as he flexes his franchise muscles with this enjoyable take on the Lee Majors-starring 80s TV favourite.
The show that gave the Irish male psyche the gilet/pick-up truck combo has undergone a retrofit for a new generation. In this origin story, Colt Seavers (Gosling) is still a stuntman, but the series' bounty hunter nixer has gone in the bin - for now. Here, he's back on set after sustaining a seemingly career-ending injury and, between takes, has been tasked with finding wayward A-lister Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) for director Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), a first-time filmmaker - and also Colt's ex.
Watch our interview with The Fall Guy star Winston Duke below:
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So, there's a mystery at the heart of this movie, but the bigger one is why it has taken Hollywood quite so long to put Gosling and Blunt together as co-stars. The pairing looks right, the chemistry is there, and the banter and bickering leave you wanting more of both. Former stuntman-turned-director David Leitch has described his film as "an underdog love story action comedy thriller". With Gosling and Blunt front and centre, The Fall Guy hits those marks.
This celebration of stunt performers and send-up of the screen trade breezily bounces from set-up to set piece and, like the source show, works because it doesn't take itself too seriously. Given the rake of beloved TV programmes that have come a cropper making the jump to the big screen - The A-Team, The Avengers, Baywatch, The Man from UNCLE, and Miami Vice among them - The Fall Guy is a success. That said, if you're expecting some kind of Midnight-Run-meets-Notting-Hill magic, it's not on a par with either of those gems. The Fall Guy can't be faulted for going the extra mile when it comes to stunts, but, as snappy as it is, it could have been funnier. If you want something with a bit more bite, then try the Gosling and Russell Crowe-starring The Nice Guys or, going further back, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang with Robert Downey Jr and Val Kilmer.
This is good park-your-troubles summer stuff. Everything says Gosling and Blunt will be back - and not in a re-run.
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