Summary
As one of the best action films of the year,The Fall Guyhas piqued audience interest in terms of the best movies like it in the action, comedy, and romance genres.Starring Ryan Gosling as Colt, the stuntperson, and Emily Blunt as Jody, the movie director,the film follows their romance as well as the unbelievable adventure they have to embark on to save the film they’re working on. Audiences have high hopes that there will be a sequel to the hit film, but until then, projects with similar themes, actors, and tones will have to suffice.
In the time since Leitch started using his talents to write and direct movies, he’s helmed some of the most popular and successful projects in the action genre.
In terms of its direction,The Fall Guyshares a quality thatevery David Leitchmovie has. It features some of the best stunts in the industry thanks to Leitch’s roots as a stuntperson himself.His background in this part of filmmaking makes him uniquely qualified to take on movies likeThe Fall Guyand combine the action and comedy genres. In the time since Leitch started using his talents to write and direct movies, he’s helmed some of the most popular and successful projects in the action genre.
10Get Smart (2008)
Directed by Peter Segal
When Carell’s character, Max, is suddenly taken out of his office role and promoted to a position in the field at his espionage agency, he can’t believe it and makes plenty of blunders along the way.
Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway make a charming if slightly unbelievably couple inGet Smart, the satirical take on the spy genre based on the hit TV show. When Carell’s character, Max, is suddenly taken out of his office role and promoted to a position in the field at his espionage agency, he can’t believe it and makes plenty of blunders along the way.He’s paired with Agent 99 (Hathaway), a seasoned agent constantly frustrated with Maxgetting in her way. The role reversal of the woman being the more competent spy rather than the man is a refreshing change.
In some ways,The Fall Guychallenges these gender norms, as Colt and Jody have an equal relationship that shifts their power dynamic from scene to scene.Get Smartis more purely associated with the comedy genre, but it has some emotional moments the same wayThe Fall Guydoes.While Blunt and Gosling make more sense as a couple than Carell and Hathaway, it’s easy to see why Agent 99 is charmed by Maxby the end of the movie.
9The Nice Guys (2016)
Directed by Shane Black
Gosling is at his best inThe Nice Guysalongside Russell Crowe, who’s surprisingly hilariousand an amazing foil to Gosling. It’s a period piece that takes place in 1977 Los Angeles, soThe Nice Guyshas roots in classic buddy comedies and crime thrillers of old Hollywood. Crowe and Gosling play a man hired for his muscle and a PI who work together on a case that leads them into Hollywood’s dark side. LikeThe Fall Guy, the movie industry plays a key role inThe Nice Guys, but Gosling and Crowe are two outsiders looking in.
Viewers are hotly anticipatingThe Nice Guys2, but nothing’s been confirmed yet. However, the success of Gosling’s recent movies likeThe Fall GuyandBarbiemight spell good news for a potential sequel in the future.The film takes its characters and the viewers on an Odyssey across Los Angeles and the film industryin a similar vein asThe Nice Guys. Additionally, for audiences who can’t get enough of Gosling’s comedic chops, it’s an ideal chaser forThe Fall Guy.
The Nice Guys
Cast
Directed by Shane Black and starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling, The Nice Guys tells the story of a private investigator and a hired enforcer who team up to investigate the disappearance of a young woman. Set in 1970s Los Angeles, the 2016 comedy thriller puts a modern spin on the noir genre.
8Drive (2011)
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Though the stakes are much higher inDrive, the Driver still shows that same kind of dedication to the woman he loves.
Gosling also plays a stuntperson inDrive, a movie with many similarities toThe Fall Guybut with a darker, grittier tone.Gosling and Letich likely drew upon Gosling’s stoic performance as the Driver inDriveto influence how Colt behavedinThe Fall Guy. However, one major difference is that Colt is a good deal more hesitant to engage in dangerous situations outside the safety of a film set. Though stuntpeople frequently put their lives at risk, today’s Hollywood standards are markedly safer for the performers, andThe Fall Guyplays off the juxtaposition very well.
InDrive, the Driver is a risk taker and uses his career as a stuntperson to further his interest in carsand passion for driving. However, like inThe Fall Guy, his romance with a young woman is what ultimately puts him in danger and gives his life meaning again. Colt goes out of his way inThe Fall Guyto ensure that Jody’s movie is the best it can be. Though the stakes are much higher inDrive, the Driver still shows that same kind of dedication to the woman he loves.
Drive
Starring Ryan Gosling as an unnamed Hollywood stunt driver (identified only as “the Driver”) who moonlights as a criminal getaway driver, Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive follows the enigmatic Driver as he finds himself hunted by a gang of violent criminals. After becoming close with his neighbors, the Driver offers to help Standard (Oscar Isaac), who was recently released from prison, settle a debt with a robbery. But the job is far more complicated than it seems, and the Driver is forced to use everything at his disposal to survive.
7Bullet Train (2022)
Directed by David Leitch
Also directed by Leitch,Bullet Trainwas an interesting experiment for the director, as it interwoven many competing storylines and required carefully planned actionsequences to make every aspect of the plot fit together. Overall,Bullet Trainachieves this goal and should be praised for its fight choreography and editing, as they’re a large part of what drives the stakes and tension of the story. Like all of Leitch’s projects, the movie revolves around a character with a dangerous profession. In this case, it’s a group of assassins all stuck on a train together.
Its contained setting provided ample opportunity for Letich to use the environment to its full potential, something he does well inThe Fall Guy. Thanks to Letich’s intimate knowledge of stunts and stunt performance, his fight sequences have a realism and immediacy that less-seasoned directors often lack. LikeThe Fall Guy, which revolves around the movie-making business,Bullet Trainis a love letter to many genres of cinema.The film draws on influences from martial arts movies, espionage thrillers, and even manga.
Bullet Train
Bullet Train: Released in 2022, Bullet Train follows unlucky assassin Ladybug as he seeks a peaceful mission amidst a web of globally connected and conflicting adversaries on the world’s fastest train. The film explores themes of fate and interconnected objectives, creating a tension-filled narrative in a high-speed setting.
6Atomic Blonde (2017)
The movie is fun and exciting from start to finish, with incredibly choreographed fight sequences that demonstrate how being a stuntperson made Leitch well-equipped to take on high-profile projects.
Atomic Blondewas one of Leitch’s first outings as a solo director, and the incredible action film deserves much more recognition than it gets. Action movies that center on female protagonists are few and far between. However,Charlize Theron embodies her character, Lorraine Broughton, an MI6 agent,with ease. The movie is fun and exciting from start to finish, with incredibly choreographed fight sequences that demonstrate how being a stuntperson made Leitch well-equipped to take on high-profile projects.
While there are comedic moments inAtomic Blonde, it’s much more serious than some of Leitch’s other work that has come to define his career. If he returns for a sequel for the movie, it would be interesting to see how his comedy-action films have influenced his style and if that carries through to theAtomic Blondeuniverse. Though more similar to Letich’s work on theJohn Wickfranchise thanThe Fall Guy,Letich’s characteristic way of directing action comes through in both projects.
Atomic Blonde
Based on a graphic novel, Atomic Blonde stars Charlize Theron as Lorraine Broughton, an MI6 agent who is attempting to locate a sensitive list of double agent spies before it is smuggled from East to West Germany, just before the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Theron is joined by a cast that includes James McAvoy, Sofia Boutella, and John Goodman.
5Edge Of Tomorrow (2014)
Directed by Doug Liman
ThoughEdge of Tomorrowhas almost no romance,it’s one of thebest time loop movies of all timeand a great followup toThe Fall Guyfor fans of Blunt.She takes on a role with much heavier dramatic weight inEdge of Tomorrowas Rita, a foil for Tom Cruises' character, William, who’s stuck in a deadly time loop while trying to save the world. With each successive loop, William must convince Rita that he’s living in a circular reality and tell her what he’s learned about the aliens they’re fighting so they can go into battle prepared.
Seeing Cruise and Blunt in a movie that requires so much in both the physical and emotional realms of their performance is an impressive sight to behold. Seamlessly blending sci-fi and action,Edge of Tomorrowhas a strong central conflict and doesn’t let the audience get lost in the complexities of the fictional world’s science.Though sci-fi is in no part ofThe Fall Guy, it still encourages the audience to suspend their disbelief similarly, as the events that unfold are improbable, if not as unimaginable as an alien invasion.
Edge of Tomorrow
Edge of Tomorrow features Tom Cruise as Major Bill Cage, an officer unversed in battle, who becomes ensnared in a time loop during an alien invasion. As Cage relives the same day repeatedly, he teams up with a skilled warrior, played by Emily Blunt, to alter the course of the war.
4Knight And Day (2010)
Directed by James Mangold
Diaz is well-known within the rom-com genre, and though Cruise has transitioned more fully to action franchises, he has clear roots in romance.
Cruise is at his most irreverent inKnight and Day, a movie he co-stars with an equally offbeat Cameron Diaz. Diaz is well-known within the rom-com genre, and though Cruise has transitioned more fully to action franchises, he has clear roots in romance. His character, Roy, is similar to the type of roles he plays in theMission: Impossiblemovies, as he’s a capable and notorious spy. However, this character inJerry Maguireis also influential, asRoy quickly captures the heart of June (Diaz) when she’s accidentally embroiled in one of his daring missions.
ThoughJune is initially reluctant to admit her feelings for Roy and commit to helping him on his mission,like Jody inThe Fall Guy, she soon realizes it’s not just Roy that she cares about. June comes into her own while on these action-packed adventures and discovers that she wants a life of adrenaline-pumping fun and doesn’t want to be ordinary. It’s clear that June inKnight and Dayinfluenced much of Jody’s characterization inThe Fall Guy, but Colt is written to be a more likable character than Roy.
Knight and Day
Written by Patrick O’Neill and directed by James Mangold, Knight and Day is an Action and Comedy that satirizes secret agent-style films. The premise follows Tom Cruise as an agent on the run from the CIA who ends up protecting a woman who is mistaken for his associate.
3Hit Man (2024)
Directed by Richard Linklater
Glenn Powell gets to be equal parts funny and suave while performing incredible stunts inHit Man. The movie has him wearing many hats and playing many different characters, as a psychology professor, Gary, who performs stings for the local police force. While embodying one of his most charming personas for a sting,he falls in love with a mark, Madison (Adria Arjona), and they embark on aBonnie and Clyde-esque adventure.Though their exploits are more violent and illegal than Colt and Jody’s, their partnership takes on a similar tone.
The director, Richard Linklater, has worked across many genres throughout his career,and his handle on the delicate balance of humor and action shines inHit Man. His style isn’t exactly congruent with Leitch’s, butHit Manhas tonal similarities toThe Fall Guyoutside of the central relationship. There’s a criminal conspiracy at the heart of both plots, and the style of humor is self-referential in an unobtrusive way. Additionally, Powell’s career is following a similar trajectory to that of Gosling in terms of projects and fame.
Hit Man
Hit Man centers on a mild-mannered professor involved in police sting operations as a fake hit man. His life spirals into chaos when he unexpectedly falls for a potential client, initiating a series of unforeseen complications and dilemmas.
2Game Night (2018)
Directed by John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein
Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are hilariously incompetent inGame Night, a movie about the dangers of an innocent game night gone wrong.
Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are hilariously incompetent inGame Night, a movie about the dangers of an innocent game night gone wrong. The married couple,Max (Bateman) and Annie (McAdams) are drawn together over their mutual competitive spirit.However, Max’s plan to show his older brother how well he’s doing soon goes awry, as his brother is secretly a spy. Enemy agents kidnap him and hijack his game night, which Max and Annie don’t realize until they’re put in increasingly real and dangerous situations.
The romantic tension and will-they-won’t-they dynamic of movies likeThe Fall Guyis foregone inGame Night,as Max and Annie’s romance and connection are cemented from the very beginning.Game Nightdoesn’t question whether or not they’ll end up together or if they’re a good match; the audience knows they are. However, the action sequences are imbued with the same humor and tongue-in-cheek sensibilities. Additionally, the way Colt is thrown into real stunt situations while being a stuntperson mirrors Max and Annie’s pretend spy game becoming real.
Game Night
Written by Mark Perez and directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Starring Jason Bateman, Billy Magnussen, Rachel McAdams, and Sharon Horgan, the 2018 Comedy sees a routine game night turn into a mystery when one of the regular members is kidnapped.
1Romancing The Stone (1984)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
The iconic and underrated ’80s rom-comRomancing The Stonewalked so many other action-romance films of its ilk could run. In the film,Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas play unlikely companions turned lovers in this timely satirical take on adventure movies of the period.Romancing The Stonecame out around the time that movies like theIndiana Jonesfranchise were at peak popularity, and so there were plenty of tropes and story techniques that audiences were familiar with that the narrative could play off of.
It follows the same format asThe Fall Guy, in that a less-than-adventurous woman is put into dangerous situations accompanied by a man who’s her foil in every way. Like many other movies of its time,Romancing The Stonehas its issues, but its overall goal is to poke fun at the rom-com pitfalls it employs within the plot.Though Joan (Turner) and Jack (Douglas) begin with a more intensely combative relationship than Jody and Colt, the couples still end up in love and on the same page.
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an action thriller from Bullet Train and Deadpool 2 director David Leitch. Ryan Gosling stars as a stuntman who is forced to find a missing movie star, investigate a conspiracy, and repair his relationship with the love of his life. The film was written by Drew Pearce and inspired by the 1980s TV series of the same name.
