The filming of this production took place in the fall of 2022 and winter of 2023 in Australia. It was in the can before the release of Barbie (2023) and Oppenheimer (2023) aka "Barbenheimer," a massive box office success that hardly anyone predicted. It's by luck that this film can then capitalize off that success by possessing two of Barbenheimer's stars. The promotion of this film began during the 96th Academy Awards when those aforementioned Barbenheimer stars were presenting an award together. The promotion was couched in a recognition of the contribution from stunt performers. Earlier this year, it was announced that the Oscars were adding a new category for casting directors, even though many people have argued for years that stunt performers or stunt coordinators deserve an Oscar category instead. This film is a meta-commentary that continues that argument and that ultimately is a homage to stunt performers. Directer David Leitch (Deadpool 2 and Bullet Train) is famously a stuntman-turned-filmmaker and he's the one basically making that argument here.
Ryan Gosling (Barbie and La La Land) stars as Colt Seavers, a character based on the protagonist in The Fall Guy (1981), a TV series about a stuntman who solves crimes. Here, Gosling's Colt Seavers is the double in action scenes for a major Hollywood figure. That figure is jealous of Colt for occasionally taking the limelight in stunts. Colt is also in love with a camera operator who is working on the same set. Unfortunately, he ends up ghosting her for nearly two years and he hopes to get back in her good graces romantically and even help her achieve her movie-making dream.
Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer and Edge of Tomorrow) co-stars as Jody Moreno, the aforementioned love interest of Colt. She starts out as a member of the camera department but quickly rises to be the director of a big blockbuster, science-fiction project called "Metal Storm," being shot in Sydney, Australia. She's nervous about her first major motion picture going well. She's worried that she might need to rewrite the ending. It doesn't help that her star is missing. When Colt shows up on her set without her knowledge, having been gone from her life for nearly two years, she's upset at him, but also his presence might motivate her to make a better film.
Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso and Game of Thrones) also co-stars as Gail, the producer of "Metal Storm." When no one can find the missing actor, she gets Colt to take on the search. If the missing actor isn't found, the production will be shut down. Gail is a pushy producer who will do anything to save the production or keep it going till it's finished. She's the one who brings Colt to Australia after he's been retired for nearly two years, and Jody is not sure why, unless Gail is simply trying to be a match maker.
Most of this film is watching Jody make "Metal Storm," but Leitch focuses on her directing the action scenes and showing us the behind-the-scenes of the stunts. Leitch's previous films are more known for the fight choreography or even intricate gun violence, but here, there is a preponderance of vehicle chases and vehicle crashes, particularly those that result in huge explosions. Leitch provides insight into how those crashes and explosions are done. He also throws out terminology that might educate. For example, I didn't know what a cannon roll was prior to seeing this.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train and Kick-Ass) plays Tom Ryder, the movie star who is the lead actor in "Metal Storm." He has a manner of speaking that reminded me of Matthew McConaughey. However, I didn't think Tom is meant to be compared to McConaughey. "Metal Storm" looks and feels like a rip-off of Mad Max (1979), starring Mel Gibson, and it seems like Gibson might be more of the comparison for Tom Ryder. The only thing is that Tom is a diva who has done quite a bit of action flicks but is sensitive about stunt performers outshining him.
He's also the actor who goes missing and it becomes Colt's job to find Tom and figure out why he disappeared. When that mystery is solved, it's a bit ridiculous and nonsensical in terms of how things would occur. What you learn is that a crime was committed, a murder in fact, and the only way that the villains here can get away with what they do is if there is no police forensics at all, or no investigative technology whatsoever.
This film is basically a flimsy excuse though for fun or funny and over-the-top action sequences where Leitch can show off his talents in crafting amazing action. The best sequences here are one involving a tow truck and a dog, as well as one at the end involving a helicopter. However, I don't think there is anything here that tops what was Leitch's best action scene in the director's chair and that is the ending sequence in Atomic Blonde (2017).
Rated PG-13 for action, violence, drug content and language.
Running Time: 2 hrs. and 6 mins.
In theaters.
