He’s a stuntman, and like everyone in the stunt community, he gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment. And now, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. What could possibly go right? – synopsis via Universal Pictures
THE FALL GUY is directed by David Leitch. He is best known for directing ATOMIC BLONDE, DEADPOOL 2, and co-directed JOHN WICK. This is a love letter to the stunt actors in cinema. They are the most overlooked and hardest-working facet of the film crew. This movie is entertaining and checks off many boxes to draw interest. A rom-com, action movie, thriller, with a Columbo-styled mystery, and also a comedy. To see that movie shows the viewer what’s behind the curtains in filmmaking. The constant abuse that their bodies take is an occupational hazard. Hit after hit, falling off of buildings, and thrown into walls in common play here.
I’m not spoiling anything but I will say that most of the plot and characters were explained in the various trailers. Gosling is playing the character he has been building on since CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE and Blunt is her charming self.
Cast
Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, the stuntman
Emily Blunt as Jody Moreno, the director
Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Tom Ryder, the diva
Hannah Waddingham as Gail Meyer, the producer
Teresa Palmer as Iggy Starr, the girlfriend
Stephanie Hsu as Alma Milan, The personal assistant
Winston Duke as Dan Tucker, the stunt coordinator and the friend
VIDEO QUALITY 4.5/5
The video is a 2160p HEVC presentation with Dolby Vision and HDR depending on your equipment. The images were captured on film and digitally. I don’t know if it started on digital and was transferred to 35mm for a film appearance. The details are incredible and show off the time it took to strategically make Colt look as filthy as possible.
The Dolby Vision makes the colors pop and the backs shadowy. Whether the setting of a scene calls for it, the skin tones are a warm yellow and this is consistent throughout the film.
Note: The screenshots were taken from 4k trailers of the movie. The review is based on streaming through Apple TV in Dolby Vision.
AUDIO QUALITY 4/5
The audio is an English Dolby Atmos mix. It has a few moments with powerful LFEs from explosions and gunfire. The sounds are cleanly layered and the sound movement is nice. There are excellent channel dispersions and use of all channels. The dialogue is clear and well-prioritized.
SUPPLEMENTS & PACKAGING 3.5/5
The streaming version also includes the extended cut with 20 extra minutes
Running Time
126 mins
Edition Ratings
Theatrical: Rated PG-13
Extended Cut: Unrated
4k UHD
Video Resolution
2160p HEVC / H.265
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
HDR:
Dolby Vision
HDR10
Audio Mixes
English Dolby Atmos
French (Canada) Dolby 5.1
Spanish (Latin America) Dolby 5.1
Subtitles
English
French (Canada)
Spanish (Latin America)
THE BOTTOM LINE 4/5
As mentioned earlier, this is a charming movie. The chemistry between Gosling and Blunt with their respective comedy styles is what makes this movie so entertaining. A lot of the jokes land and if you’re a fan of the various members of this great cast, the interest of the movie won’t be hard to deny.
The video is sharp and looks nice in 4k. The audio also has a strong showing here. I know that on a physical format, the bitrate on both would be more consistent but that’s what buffering is for. I didn’t notice any restrictions or hindrances from the movie being streamed but your experience may differ from my own. Either way, I highly recommend checking out the film.
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