Yet that’s precisely the gag: the love between Colt and Jody isn’t real, it’s all just for this movie we’re watching. But we the audience not only wanted it, we believed it, too. So if it causes us, real living people, to have a genuine reaction, that’s the magic, and it’s what the filmmakers’ goal was all along. As proof, Leitch ends his film with a Needham-esque outtakes reel (set to the country-fried tune of “Unknown Stuntman,” the theme from the “Fall Guy” series), only instead of actors flubbing their lines and the like, he uses the reel to point out all of the real stunt men and women performing the record-breaking stunts for “The Fall Guy” on set.
However, the homage doesn’t end there. In a mid-credits scene, a title card reads “Previously on The Fall Guy…” before cutting to the aftermath of Gail and Ryder’s doomed helicopter flight. As the producer and the star flail around on the ground, dazed, the police arrive, and out climbs The Fall Guy (Lee Majors), the former stuntman turned bounty hunter from the original series, and his partner, former stuntwoman Jody Banks (Heather Thomas). The duo attempts to arrest the criminals, but the egocentric Ryder refuses, claiming he’s going to call someone to get out of it. As he attempts to find a signal for his phone, he wanders into an area of set that’s wired with explosives, past a safety sign telling people not to approach the area with their phones. The explosives detonate, dispatching Ryder. The Fall Guy looks on with wry judgment, derisively observing: “Actor.” Meanwhile, Alma, having witnessed Ryder’s demise, gets on her own phone, asking for Jason Momoa’s agent.
“The Fall Guy” isn’t just a movie about a stuntman; it has the spirit and soul of a stuntman, too. It’s a little clever, a little stupid, a little silly, a little daring, and a lot charmingly lovable. Like a good stuntman, it wants you to enjoy the illusion while appreciating its craft. In addition, it knows that there’s only one eternal rule in showbiz: the show must go on.
“The Fall Guy” is now playing in theaters everywhere.
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