Long-time and even recent KFK readers can infer a lot of things about our collective mindset, and one that stands out most prominently is the reverence we hold for stunt professionals.
In a very real way, stunt people are the glue that holds the action movie industry together, and quite literally the fall guys who take a lot of pain for the sake of stunts, chases, gun battles, and fight scenes to look their best.
Fittingly, David Leitch’s “The Fall Guy” bestows that very title upon the stunt industry in its action-comedy tale of a stuntman on a mission right out of the very action movies that are his bread and butter.
“The Fall Guy” Plot Synopsis
Based upon the ‘80s TV series of the same name, “The Fall Guy” focuses on the travails of stunt man Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling), who is back on set doubling for action movie star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), with the shoot being a particularly awkward one due to the director being Tom’s ex-girlfriend Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt).
The unexpected disappearance of Ryder leaves the movie at risk of being shut down by the studio, but Seavers volunteers to locate and rescue the missing star, with his skill as a stuntman being his only asset to get himself and Ryder out of the latter’s kidnapping in one piece.
“The Fall Guy” is More 87Eleven Magic From David Leitch
Action fans know David Leitch well from his co-directorial debut with Chad Stahelski on 2014’s “John Wick”. David later went on as a solo director in the action hits “Atomic Blonde”, “Deadpool 2”, “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw”, and “Bullet Train”.
David has also helped shepherd other recent action hits as a producer on movies like “Nobody”, “Kate” and “Violent Night” (all under the banner of David and his wife Kelly McCormick’s production company 87 North Productions), which collectively have cemented the 87 Eleven action movie template alongside Chad Stahelski’s work on the “John Wick” franchise.
“The Fall Guy” is looking to be another concoction of the 87 Eleven action movie formula, the results of which have made one point crystal clear.
87Eleven Can Turn Anyone into an Action Star
While Keanu Reeves’s action hero pedigree was well-established long before “John Wick”, even he shot further up the ladder with his electrifying portrayal of the Baba Yaga after extensive and arduous training.
By the same token, virtually every other 87 Eleven connected action movie has turned dramatic and comedic stars alike into butt-kicking fighting machines, from Charlize Theron and Bob Odenkirk to Brad Pitt, David Harbour, and Halle Berry.
Undoubtedly, Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt underwent the same kind of training for “The Fall Guy”, and under David Leitch’s direction, the stunt aspect of the movie is as prominent as it’s ever been in an 87 Eleven-affiliated action flick.
That all bodes very well for “The Fall Guy” as one of Hollywood’s first major action movies of 2024.
What’s Next For David Leitch and Chad Stahelski?
Both David Leitch and Chad Stahelski are continuing to keep busy as action moviemakers. Following the release of “The Fall Guy”, David has the TV series “Hot Air” and the movie “Undying Love” in the works.
Meanwhile, Chad Stahelski is currently prepping a reboot of the “Highlander” franchise with none other than Superman himself, Henry Cavill, with Chad also attached to an adaptation of the video game “Ghost of Tsushima”.
While reports of the development of a possible “John Wick: Chapter 5” has gone back and forth in the news cycle, David and Chad are continuing to push action movies further into the stratosphere with their upcoming projects.
After so many 87 Eleven action movie fireworks, there’s little reason to doubt that “The Fall Guy” will be another display worthy of the Fourth of July!
