It’s so much deeper than an action comedy movie.
The Big Picture
-
The Fall Guy
kicks off summer 2024 with action, humor, and a nod to noir, featuring Ryan Gosling in a thrilling mystery. - Director Leitch combines intense action with noir elements, crafting a suspenseful story for fans of both genres.
- Gosling’s Colt Seavers embarks on a dangerous mission to save a missing movie star while unraveling Hollywood’s dark secrets.
Within the last decade, the first weekend of May has generally been occupied by a new superhero film as an unofficial kickoff for the summer movie season. Due to a series of scheduling changes as a result of the 2023 SAG and WGA strikes, Marvel Studios was unable to slate a new film for the release window; summer 2024 now begins with David Leitch’s action comedy The Fall Guy. Based on the popular television series of the same name starring Lee Majors, The Fall Guy is a massive love letter to action cinema and stunt performers. It may feature some of the year’s best action sequences, but The Fall Guy incorporates elements of the neo-noir genre.
The allusions to classic detective cinema aren’t all that surprising when considering the creative talent behind The Fall Guy; Leitch’s previous films Atomic Blonde and John Wick were able to use their death-defying hand-to-hand combat and gunplay to advance a conspiracy narrative, adding complexity to the standard action premise. Ryan Gosling is himself a veteran of the noir genre, having starred in such modern classics as the neo-thriller Drive and the vastly underrated dark comedy The Nice Guys. However, The Fall Guy homages both action and noir classics in a manner that appeases fans of both genres.
The Fall Guy
Colt Seavers is a stuntman who left the business a year earlier to focus on both his physical and mental health. He’s drafted back into service when the star of a mega-budget studio movie, which is being directed by his ex, goes missing.
- Release Date
- May 3, 2024
- Director
- David Leitch
- Cast
- Emily Blunt , Hannah Waddingham , Ryan Gosling , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Stephanie Hsu , Teresa Palmer
- Runtime
- 114 minutes
- Main Genre
- Action
‘The Fall Guy’ Uses a Noir Framing Device
One of the hallmarks of any classic hard-boiled detective story is a sizzling opening monologue in which the protagonist explains the parameters of their working environment to the viewer; in the case of infamous sleuths like Sam Spade or Phillip Marlowe, comments made about the corrupt city that they work in help to ground the story within a gritty tone. The Fall Guy utilized voiceovers from Gosling’s Colt Seavers to explain the world of stunt performances, giving insight on the expertise that the craft requires. While Gosling’s inherent sense of humor adds a cheekiness to the dialogue, it’s evident that Colt is distanced from the spectacle of Hollywood; his profession is often taken for granted, and he doesn’t receive nearly the same attention that the famous action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) does. Similar to Spade or Marlowe, Colt is an outsider who has grown rather cynical about the craft he’s dedicated his life to.
Like the protagonists of many classic noirs, Colt is a reluctant hero who had previously sworn off returning to his industry. While being a stunt performer routinely exposes him to significant danger, Colt broke his back whilst performing a dangerous action sequence on the set of Ryder’s latest blockbuster; the critical injury he suffered, as well as Ryder’s lack of compassion, was enough to cast doubt on his future making movies. The joy of noir cinema is seeing a grizzled, past-their-prime hero have to redeem themselves when it’s evident that they are the only one capable of solving a case. When Ryder disappears, executive producer Gale Meyers (Hannah Waddingham) knows that she can’t go to law enforcement, as any controversy could derail the film’s production. Colt may have his misgivings about the direction the industry is headed, but the nontraditional skills he’s acquired over the course of his career make him perfectly suited to exposing Hollywood’s seedy underbelly.
Ryan Gosling Played a Superhero and No One Even Remembers It
He wasn’t exactly the most impressive superhero, either.
‘The Fall Guy’ Is at Its Best When It’s a Mystery
Given Leitch’s track record of incorporating intense action sequences, it should be of now surprise that The Fall Guy contains more than a few incredible set pieces. However, a majority of The Fall Guy focuses on Colt searching for clues relating to Ryder’s disappearance. After infiltrating Ryder’s apartment alongside the stunt coordinator Dan Tucker (Winston Duke), Colt has to translate the peculiar actor’s cryptic notes in order to trace his location. Depicting the intelligence that Colt has makes him a more endearing protagonist; while he can more than handle himself in a brawl, Colt is selected for his assignment because of the depth of his knowledge. Many of the film’s best sequences involve Colt sneaking between iconic Hollywood locations as he discovers Ryder’s disappearance is far more complicated than it initially seemed.
Although the problem-solving element makes the action scenes more inventive, The Fall Guy uses its mystery factor to incorporate the inherent romanticism of the noir genre. Noir heroes may put on tough, overtly masculine personas, but they’re often far less impenetrable than they pretend to be; often, their motivations are as simple as love. In The Fall Guy, Colt’s attempt to save an actor he has no respect for lies in the hope of reuniting with the director Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), who he once shared a romantic connection with. Colt’s belief in Jodie is what draws him out of his shell; in turn, Jodie’s enthusiasm about her new film reminds Colt why he wanted to be a stuntman in the first place.
‘The Fall Guy’ Addresses Noir’s Anti-Authoritarian Themes
Noir cinema is exciting because the audience is constantly forced to second guess their assumptions; each revelation leads to more questions, as coincidences often prove to be part of a larger conspiracy. The Fall Guy utilizes a mystery that exposes the seedy underbelly of the film industry; Colt’s accident was due to an erratic decision by Ryder, who believes that his fame has made him impervious to consequences. The personal feud between the two characters makes The Fall Guy’s third act more exciting. Colt isn’t just trying to save Jody from danger; he needs to reveal Ryder’s misdeeds and hold the powerful accountable.
The Fall Guy may exclusively be about stunt performers, but it’s really a love letter to many genres; the film incorporates elements of romance, comedy, action, and mystery in order to give viewers a full portrait of what the ideal summer blockbuster looks like. The strong influence of noir only indicates why the genre continues to produce new classics.
The Fall Guy is in theaters now in the U.S.
This article was originally published on collider.com