Jakarta. Behind the success of an action film, there are the stuntmen who became the heroes despite not being in the spotlight. While the stunt performers breathe life into an action film with their adrenaline-filled scenes, the viewers often ignore their presence. This is what “The Fall Guy” (2024) --the latest action comedy film starring Ryan Gosling-- is trying to portray. 

Directing the “The Fall Guy” is David Leitch, who has been a stuntman himself for Brad Pitt and Jean-Claude Van Damme. The story follows Colt Seavers (Gosling), the stunt double for the famous Hollywood star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Colt gets severely injured after a stunt goes wrong, and the career-ending accident causes him to leave the movie industry. About 18 months later, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) -- a camera operator and also Colt’s ex -- is directing the science fiction epic and her first directorial debut “Metalstorm”. Colt’s producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) asks Colt to take part in the movie, which also stars Tom. And Gail asks Colt to do one more thing: to find Tom who has abruptly gone missing. To save his loved one’s movie, stuntman Colt embarks on an exciting adventure -- although this time, his journey does not take place behind the cameras, but also in the real world.

Adrenaline-packed performances and action become the main selling point of “The Fall Guy”. Starting from jumping off tall buildings, car and speedboat chase, to fighting on a helicopter -- “The Fall Guy” is a 126-minute movie of almost-non-stop-action. The movie’s stuntman Logan Holladay even took home the Guinness World Record for having the most cannon rolls in a car, beating Adam Kirley in the 2006 James Bond film “Casino Royale”.

Leitch --who directed “Deadpool 2” (2018), “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” (2019), and “Bullet Train” (2022)-- has again succeeded in turning a string of daring acts into a thrilling film. The enthralling visual effects and cinematography have also turned these action scenes into something that captivates the audience.

Amidst the intense fighting in the movie, Gosling and Blunt have done a great job at bringing a heartwarming chemistry to the audience. “The Fall Guy”--which is inspired by the 1980s TV series of the same name-- has natural dialogue, and its humor makes the audience laugh. While the narrative may seem unrealistic, at the end of the day, “The Fall Guy” deserves to be called a movie that pays honor to the stuntmen and other often-forgotten people behind the scenes. The movie, which is now out in Indonesian cinemas, also has a mid-credits scene that shows familiar faces for those who used to watch the 1980s TV series. The credits also feature the real stuntmen of the movie, as if emphasizing that “The Fall Guy” is a film both made by and dedicated to stunt performers.

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