Directed by David Leitch (John Wick (2014); Atomic Blonde (2017); Deadpool 2 (2018); Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)) and starring Ryan Gosling (La La Land (2016); Barbie (2023); The Place Beyond the Pines (2012); The Big Short (2015)), Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada (2006); Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011); Edge of Tomorrow (2014); A Quiet Place (2018)), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass (2010); Bullet Train (2022); The King's Man (2021)) and Hannah Waddingham (Les Misérables (2012); Ted Lasso (TV series, 2020-2023)).
Action Comedy; 126 mins; 12+
Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is a stunt man who gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment; he stands in for actor Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), an arrogant and self-serving individual who only looks after himself. One day while on set, with Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt) a camera operator on the same production, Colt suffers an almost career-ending accident when a stunt goes wrong.
Fast-forward eighteen months and Colt has ignored all attempts by Jody to contact him during his convalescence from serious injury, he is contacted by Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham), Tom Ryder's manager, urging him to work with Tom again; he is reluctant until he learns that it will be Jody's first film as director.
He arrives in Sydney for the shoot and Tom Ryder goes missing; Colt goes to Tom's apartment only to find a body in the bath. While his romance with Jody is rekindled, he tries to determine what happened and solve a conspiracy, discovering that a video of the killing is on Tom's phone which he then has to locate.
Action-packed and great fun with many amazing stunts (think Ryan Gosling's character playing a stunt man for another character, but another stunt man has to perform those high-risk stunts...), culminating in a climax involving explosions, helicopters and a car jump.
Both Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt exude great on-screen chemistry, with the director ensuring with a visual spectacle and with a thumping soundtrack. One scene in particular stood out (actually two) when Jody was in a Karaoke bar while Colt was in a car chase around the streets of Sydney; in one way it is a pit they did not use split screens for that, particularly as the characters had just discussed using such effects in the film shoot.
Very entertaining.
Currently screening in Luxembourg at Kinepolis and CiNextDoor.
