I never really watched the Lee Majors TV show that seemed to be a staple of the ITV early evening Saturday schedule in the 1980s. My eyes were probably on a Western being shown on BBC1 most weeks! Whilst this big screen version tries to capitalise of the popularity of the show, it bares very little resemblance. Ryan Gosling takes on the role of Colt Seavers, pairing up with Emily Blunt as Jody Moreno after their memorably funny turn at the Oscars this year.
After an accident on set that caused him injury, for which he blames himself, Colt goes off grid cutting all ties with girlfriend Jody. Eighteen months later, cinematographer Jody is directing her first film but her star – Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who Colt used to double for – has gone missing. Her producer, Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham), persuades Colt to help her find Tom.
After a patchy first 20 minutes or so, when it felt that the film was struggling to find its rhythm, The Fall Guy is terrifically enjoyable. There are some sharp one-liners, a funny pastiche of self-important desert set scifi movies and a number of excellent stunt based action sequences. The highlights being a madcap fight in a skip on a speeding truck and an edge of your seat climatic showdown in a helicopter.
Gosling oozes charisma and he deserves to be an even bigger star than he is. He has wonderful chemistry with both Blunt and his stunt co-ordinator Dan Tucker (Winston Duke).
Rating: 8 out of 10