Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) has been a Hollywood stuntman for over 15 years, and for the past 6 years he’s served as the stunt double for one of the biggest action stars out there, Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). He’s living the dream on his dream job, working beside the woman he has a major crush on, camera operator Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). However, when a stunt goes wrong that leaves Colt badly injured, he retreats to a dark place. He’s depressed and embarrassed, and decides to leave the business, working as a valet and ghosting Jody just as their romance was about to take off.

Eighteen months later, Tom Ryder is starring in the new sci fi epic love story Metalstorm, which will be Jody’s directorial debut. Tom’s new stunt double has gone missing, and Tom has gotten mixed up with some questionable characters, and has also gone AWOL from set. In order to save the film, producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) tells Colt that Jody personally asked for him—which is all he needs to hear to agree to come out of his retirement. However, when Colt shows up on set, it’s a complete surprise to Jody, who isn’t too pleased to see him after having no contact for the past year. And she prefers to vent their relationship issues in front of the entire cast and crew. Meanwhile, Gail sends Colt to find and bring back Tom before the studio gets wind of what’s going on and shuts the production down. However, Colt soon finds himself the target of a dangerous and deadly plot, and he’s going to need to use all of his skills as a stuntman to find those responsible and clear his name. At the same time, he also hopes to rekindle his relationship with Jody.

The film also stars Winston Duke as Colt’s stuntman friend Dan Tucker, who’s the stunt coordinator on Metalstorm; Teresa Palmer as Iggy Starr, the female lead of Metalstorm and girlfriend of Tom Ryder; and Stephanie Hsu as assistant/PA Alma Milan. The film is based on the classic television series of the same name, created by Glen A. Larson, which ran from 1981-1986. And it is directed by David Leitch (Bullet Train, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde), a stuntman-turned-director who knows a thing or two about blending action and comedy.

The Fall Guy is a fun, wild ride, and a meta-filled love letter to the hard-working and often under-appreciated and under-acknowledged stunt industry. The film constantly weaves in these massive and impressive action set pieces that naturally blend into the narrative. While we do see Colt perform stunts for the movie-within-the-movie, such as a barrel roll or being set on fire, he also often finds himself under attack from bad guys, and here we get some really exciting fight sequences and car chases, and even both at once—a fight aboard a garbage skip as it speeds and spins down the road. The meta nature of the film is partially what makes it so fun to watch—these stunt sequences are so wild and over-the-top, but also don’t feel out of place in this setting. The filmmakers also enjoy throwing in other commentary and meta references, such as the fact that there is no Oscar category for stunts, or Jody discussing how she might use split screen in her film, while we are actually experiencing a split screen moment between her and Colt. There is also this running bit with Jody and Colt discussing the plot of Metalstorm—the film-within-the-film about the love between an Alien and a Cowboy—but what they are really doing is having a thinly-veiled discussion about their own relationship.

The original The Fall Guy series was a staple in my house growing up. Lee Majors played Hollywood stuntman-turned-bounty hunter Colt Seavers, who often made use of his massive GMC truck to help get his target. The film makes lots of fun nods to the series and Majors, such as once again giving Colt his signature truck (on loan from the production), and even giving a subtle The Six Million Dollar Man sound cue during one of the fight sequences. The soundtrack is also filled with music of the late 70s/early 80s to evoke that nostalgic feeling. Plus, the TV show’s theme appears during the credits, where we get to see footage of the film’s real stunt crew in action.

Ryan Gosling is so entertaining in the role, oozing charm and charisma while also making you laugh and really believe he could be this renowned stuntman. He and Emily Blunt have such amazing chemistry, giving the film a delightful romantic comedy feeling and making you root for their romance, amongst all the exciting and explosive action. The supporting cast is also a lot of fun, especially Hannah Waddingham, who is initially unrecognizable with Gail’s big throwback brunette haircut, and constantly gulping down a massive Diet Coke. The film also has some great surprise cameos.

Universal has yet to announce a physical media release date for The Fall Guy, but it is now available to rent or own on Premium Digital. The 4K picture features a solid presentation, with a stunning and nearly flawless picture. Colors are bright and beautiful, and all of the action is captured with an excellent level of detail. I can’t imagine this film looking any better. The Atmos soundtrack provides clear dialogue throughout, and makes you feel like you are right there in the middle of the action, giving a fully-immersive ambiance and rocking soundtrack.

The Digital release currently only offers an extended cut of the film for bonus material. This version of the film integrates 20 minutes of additional footage not seen in theaters. I had originally seen the film in the theater, and only 2 longer sequences immediately stood out as I watched the extended cut. So I’m guessing the remaining 10-or-so minutes are smaller things added here and there. This Premium Digital release will likely be automatically updated with additional bonus material once the general Digital/Physical release happens.

What’s Included:

Specs and availability of bonus features varies by provider, the following taken from Apple TV.

Film: (2:06:54)

• 2160p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Dolby Vision / HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English Descriptive Audio, French (Canada) 5.1, Spanish (Latin America) 5.1
  (Note: the Extended Cut is only offered in English)
• Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish

Extras:
Content accessibility may vary by app. Additional bonus material will likely automatically be added to this PVOD release around the time of the general digital/physical release.

• Extended Cut (2:26:26)
  Accessible via the extras, this Extended Cut of the film includes an additional 20 minutes of footage not seen in theaters added back into the film, for even more action and laughs.

Final Thoughts:

The Fall Guy is a thoroughly-entertaining and delightful experience, finding this excellent and seamless balance between action movie and rom-com, while also making a lot of fun meta-references to the stunt and movie industry. The cast is amazing and have great chemistry, and the stunts are epic and amazing. I first saw the film in the theater, and was excited to check it out again at home, and it didn’t disappoint the second time around. The digital release looks and sounds fantastic, but is currently limited on bonus material—just including an extended cut of the film. However, the bonus material will likely be updated later on when the physical release is made available. The Fall Guy comes highly recommended for anyone looking for a hilarious rom-com/action movie. I will definitely be making this movie a regular watch.