Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

The Fall Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker July 23, 2024

87North's ('Nobody', 'Bullet Train') latest production 'The Fall Guy' arrives on 4K UHD disc courtesy of Universal. Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, and Hannah Waddingham star in this action-packed comedic love letter to stunt performers inspired by the classic 1980s television series of the same name which starred Lee Majors and Heather Thomas. This three-disc set (2 UHDs and one Blu-ray disc) affords viewers the option to enjoy the original theatrical cut and the extended cut (which is approximately 20 minutes longer), as well as an interesting assortment of supplemental features most of which focus on the film's amazing stunts. A slipcover and a Digital Code redeemable through Movies Anywhere are also included.

Hollywood has shown time and again that it loves a remake with a proven property or idea from the past believed to be the surest and safest way to sell tickets and generate revenue. It doesn't always turn out that way. While I always enjoyed The Wild Wild West (1965-1969) and am an ardent fan of The Avengers (1961-1969), discovering both well after both series ended, neither film adaptation worked for a plethora of reasons. More successfully, Mission: Impossible (1966-1973) spawned a film franchise that has endured significantly longer than the original series. 2024's The Fall Guy based on the series that ran from 1981 to 1986 and starred Lee Majors and Heather Thomas (both of whom have cameos here), was clearly inspired by the vintage series, but also serves as something of a prequel to it according to the filmmakers. While this film's Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling, The Barbie Movie) hasn't started moonlighting as a bounty hunter, he is a stunt performer who is actively involved in bringing a criminal to justice. For the filmmakers, and most audience members, this is likely close enough.

Confident and cool under pressure, stunt performer Colt Seavers has it all. He's working on a film with his new girlfriend Jody (Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer, Edge of Tomorrow), a camera operator who he feels is well on her way to becoming a great director, when he tragically breaks his back when a high fall goes very wrong. In seconds his career seems to be over, and not long after he vanishes from Jody's life and, after recovering, takes a job as a valet. About a year later, high-strung Producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham, Ted Lasso) tracks him down, begging him to return to his former career. She implores him to once again be a stunt double for Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kick Ass, Bullet Train), the actor he made a career doubling, on a film which just also happens to be Jody's first directorial effort. As soon as he hears that Jody wants him on set, his bags are packed and he's on his way to Australia, hoping to rekindle their relationship and his career at the same time. When Ryder goes missing, Meyer tasks Colt with finding him before the film is scuttled, a task that grows significantly harder when he finds himself framed for murder.

The fact that the film is a love letter to stunt performers is worn on the film's sleeve. Early in Colt's search for Tom Ryder, the film's missing star, Colt finds himself conversing with Doone (Matuse, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), a leopard tattooed drug dealer. As the pair discuss Seaver's career as a stunt performer, each in their own way laments the fact that stunt performers, despite their significant impact and contributions to innumerable films, are ineligible to receive Oscars. In scene after scene of The Fall Guy Gosling, Blunt, and their co-stars showcase the meticulous craftsmanship, the strong focus on safety, skill, and bravery necessary to professionally do stunt work. Their value to film is immense. To paraphrase Gosling's opening monologue, they do everything that makes the stars look cool. All of these are sentiments that he and others involved in the project reiterate with some frequency during a number of this release's supplemental features.

The volume and complexity of the stunt work on display in The Fall Guy is quite impressive. Early in the film, Waddington's Gail congratulates Colt for his execution of a world-record cannon roll that marked his return to stunt work. In truth, the very stunt seen in the film actually was a world record setter for real stunt performer Logan Holladay. Gosling, out of respect for stunt performers in general and those working on this film in particular, and in order to better understand the nature of their work and thereby his character, does a number of the stunts shown in the film himself, including one which required him to deal with his fear of heights.

Gosling once again demonstrates his great comedic skill and timing with a deft mix of slapstick, sight gags, and dialogue. His standout moments in this regard, in my opinion, are his explanations of recent events. Each of these instances, though technically correct and emphatically delivered, is presented in his character's own unique verbal shorthand which only ever serves to hopelessly confuse those he wishes to bring up to speed. In a manner reminiscent of Jackie Chan's oeuvre, many of his fight scenes are choreographed with comedy in mind and elicit as many laughs as they do winces. Even Blunt, whose character serves as the director of the preposterous film within the film Metalstorm, has an opportunity to participate in a ridiculous and laugh-inducing fight.

As escapist entertainment, The Fall Guy earns top marks. The film isn't deep. There aren't metaphors to dissect or messages to unravel. There is simply a thin plotline that connects a series of jaw-dropping stunts that pop up every seven minutes or so. The love story between Colt and Jody is as adorable and fluffy as any you'd find in a number of mid- to lower-tier romantic comedies. Given the film's setting, Jody has a remarkably unique and effective method to exact restitution for Colt's mistreatment of her. Furthermore, the use of split screen while her character discusses using split screen in her film with Gosling, while a little too on the nose, is nonetheless funny. During the scene, she dons an alien prosthetic while Gosling is decked out in a western-cut neon suit, the pair's tenuous relationship status mimicking that of the starcrossed alien and cowboy lovers in Jody's Metalstorm. The main draw for the included Extended Cut, for most viewers, would likely be the extended chase and fight scene between Colt and Doone after they exit the club and Colt seeks to gain information about Ryder's whereabouts. While the lengthy scene features some creative parkour sequences as the pair rampage through Sydney, it also serves to slow down the main focus of the film, as do the other smaller additions. The Theatrical Cut, which clocks in at slightly over two hours, seemed much more focused and on point. And since this cut of the film is already loaded with humor and action, losing a few of each in the name of better pacing is no real sacrifice.

The Fall Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Fall Guy 2160p transfer is up to the standards one would expect from a modern Universal release, with the Dolby Vision grading being especially pleasing. Detail levels are impressively high in all shots, interior or exterior, long or close-up. Facial particulars such as Gosling's stubble and wrinkles and Doone's tattoos are open for close inspection. Clothing and environmental particulars are also consistently on display, with the Metalstorm cowboy costumes and alien prosthetics yielding amazing levels of texture, dirt, wear, and realism. While primaries aren't frequently on display, they pop nicely when they do. Blacks are inky and deep without crushing, and whites can be brilliant when so allowed. Dimensionality and depth are also quite impressive and are best appreciated in the film's longer shots. Skin tones are healthy and realistic across all scenes save for those when obviously intentional lighting choices or stylized color grading renders them otherwise. I did not detect any defects or anomalies.

Please note that all screen captures are sourced from the included 1080p disc.

The Fall Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Fall Guy's English Dolby Atmos audio track is quite good, and it should come as no surprise that it is at its best during the film's frequent stunt and fight sequences. In these instances, immersion elevates and bass erupts commensurate with the on-screen mayhem, with explosions, crashes, and gunfire sounding particularly impressive. During the moments when music is allowed to dominate, typically Yungblud's cover of the KISS classic I Was Made For Loving You, surrounds also spring to rambunctious life, with the instrumentation and vocals being faithfully and precisely rendered, and again with a well-supported low end. However, for most other moments in the film, immersion is much more subdued, with lower levels of ambient sounds to place the viewer in the scene. Dialogue is clearly and cleanly reproduced and typically front and center focused. Directionality is excellent with objects and sounds moving smoothly and fluidly through the sound field.

The Fall Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All on-disc supplemental material is located on the Theatrical Cut 4K UHD disc and the included Theatrical Cut Blu-ray disc. Only the Feature Commentary is found on the Extended Cut 4K UHD disc.

• Gag Reel (4.36) - Cast members flub line deliveries and burst out laughing in this collection of botched takes.

• Alternate Takes (5.52) - A number of alternate takes are included here but are not necessarily in chronological order.

• Stunts on Stunts: Breaking Down the Action (18.58) - Information is provided regarding the design, planning and execution of five of the film's most memorable stunts, consisting of the following: City Truck Jump/Sidewinder (Stunt Driver Logan Holladay gives viewers a first-person view of jumping a truck onto a busy city street.); Garbage Bin (Ryan Gosling and stunt performers "surf" across Sydney's Harbour Bridge at 60 kph, fight in a spinning trash bin, and perform fight choreography with a canine actor.); Boat Chase (Colt Seaver's (Ryan Gosling) referenced Miami Vice boat jump comes to fiery and explosive life in the waters near the iconic Sydney Opera House.); Car Jump (Filmmakers dissect the film's most dangerous and longest jump from the The Fall Guys climax.); and High Fall (Troy Brown, son of the legendary Bob Brown, performs the fall from a moving helicopter.).

• Making a Meta Masterpiece (16.03) - Go behind the scenes with cast and crew in various Australian locations as the classic 80s television series returns to life on the big screen, from the project's origin, to casting, to filming, including a glimpse of Gosling performing some of his own stunts.

• How to Break a World Record (6.04) - Filmmakers and stunt driver Logan Holladay discuss trying and succeeding to execute a world record cannon roll stunt for the film.

• Nightclub Mayhem (3.30) - Fight Coordinator Sunny Sun and Stunt Double Justin Eaton choreograph and perfect Colt Seaver's fight with Doone's goons, with Ryan Gosling performing all of his own stunts for this scene.

• The Art of Doubling (4.22) - Ryan Gosling's Stunt Double Ben Jenkins discusses using his fear, doing parkour, getting set on fire, and moving from stunt to stunt on the biggest film he's been a part of.

• Making 'Metalstorm' (4.31) - Filmmakers discuss licensing Universal property Metalstorm, a film from the early 1980s, to serve as the inspiration for the cowboys versus aliens film within the film in The Fall Guy.

• Falling for 'The Fall Guy' With Bob Reese (4.24) - After a very important safety warning, professional parkour athlete and influencer Bob Reese recreates several stunts from the film.

• Feature Commentary - Available on all three included discs, Director/Producer David Leitch and Producer Kelly McCormick provide a wealth of stories and background information regarding the project. Working without a script or an outline, the pair react to the on-screen action as the inspiration for anecdotes, how scenes evolved, shooting the various stunts, the inspiration for certain scenes and costume choices, and crafting the third act during shooting, without ever having a break in the discussion.

The Fall Guy 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Why don't stunt performers win Oscars? After watching The Fall Guy, that's a question I suspect most viewers will be asking, and the film functions as a solid argument as to why they should. That aside, The Fall Guy also works as a lively piece of escapist entertainment with enough stunt and fight scenes to satisfy even the most seasoned action movie aficionado and an interesting enough romantic subplot from an earnest and adorable Blunt and Gosling to separate it from simple actioners. As is the case with every comedy, not every joke lands, but thankfully every stunt does. Even those not given to delve into the supplemental materials will be well advised to at the very least watch the entirety of the Stunts on Stunts: Breaking Down the Action to more fully appreciate the on-screen action. With an outstanding transfer and a powerful Dolby Atmos track, The Fall Guy 4K comes highly recommended.