‘The Fall Guy: Extended Cut’ 4K Ultra HD movie review

Former stunt coordinator-turned-director David Leitch’s extreme action-comedy from early this year landed with a thud at the box office despite critical claim.

His effort now looks for home entertainment redemption with a weightier version available in the ultra-high definition disc release of The Fall Guy: Extended Cut (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, not rated, 119 minutes, 1:33:1 aspect ratio, $29.95).

Very loosely based on the 1980s television series, the movie features Ryan Gosling as stuntman Colt Seavers, who suffers a severe injury on a film set and ends up as a car valet, tossed out of the Hollywood limelight.

He’s pulled back in when bombastic producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) requests his return in a film now directed by his former true love, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt).

However, real life becomes much more complicated and dangerous when Gail asks him to find missing action star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, as the actor Colt stunt doubled for), and violent trouble ensues.

Our stuntman gets drawn into the middle of a murder conspiracy that requires Colt use his skills to solve a mystery and save his own life.

Viewers should strap in with a large steel drum of popcorn and a gallon of their favorite carbonated beverage to start a long-lasting appreciation of an old-school action film paying homage to the underappreciated vocation of stunt work.

Mr. Leitch mixes the right amount of violence and humor within an evolving romance (the chemistry between Ms. Blunt and Mr. Gosling is palpable) to deliver a highly entertaining blockbuster that should have been a big hit in theaters.

Eagle-eyed viewers will also appreciate a post-credit scene starring the original Fall Guy and his favorite stuntwoman, sure to deliver big smiles.

Viewers get the theatrical cut of the film as well as the titled extended edition clocking in at an extra 20 minutes that further fleshes out secondary character development and prolongs a few of the frenetic fight scenes.

Note: This is a personal quirk, but the understated linguistic tone Mr. Gosling presented playing Beavis on a skit on a recent “Saturday Night Live” kind of shows up in the movie occasionally, especially as he flirts with Jody, making it a bit hard to take him seriously. Good thing the film had plenty of rom-com elements.

4K in action: How can one not admire a 4K presentation built to supplement a viewer’s appreciation for big, loud and detailed, extreme practical stunt work by many talented craftsmen.

How about a car chase on a beach with Colt rolling a vehicle multiple times over, kicking up soft granules of sand; or a fight scene in a detached and spinning garbage truck bed; or a high-speed boat chase with a jump through a wall of red- and orange-tinged fire.

The most surreal scene, and worthy of a UHD appreciation, is a drug-enhanced close-quarter combat scene in a dimly lit nightclub with color trails coming off of every combatant, punch, kick or bottle smash highlighted with Colt wearing a bright yellow raincoat and yellow knit cap.

Equally bizarre and even more colorful, but stunt-free, is Colt wearing a neon yellow suit while sneaking around a dimly florescent blue-lit hotel room spotlighted by a neon red light with a unicorn, no less, following our hero around.

Best extras: “The Fall Guy” gets plenty of digital goodies for fans to love starting with an optional commentary track on both cuts featuring the director and producer Kelly McCormick.

The pair often comment about the onscreen action also tied to memories on set but take plenty of time to discuss the stunt work and performers

Points hit upon include Mr. Gosling wearing a controversial wig; the opening scene offering a quick showcase of stunt performers in various Hollywood films (including Mr. Leitch); breaking down the multiple and long one-take shots; stories about a chatty cockatoo; and Mr. Leitch’s obsession with using the KISS song, the disco-ized “I Was Made For Lovin’ You,” multiple times in the movie. 

Next about an hour’s worth of featurettes are led by quick breakdowns of the five key, stunt-heavy scenes in the film, including a truck jumping 250 feet over a canyon.

Also, overall production segments (roughly 40 minutes in total) cover cast and crew gushing about making the movie; Mr. Gosling’s stunt doubles; a focus on the close-quarter combat; the creation of the faux movie “Metalstorm” (Jody’s directorial debut); professional parkour athlete Bob Reese duplicating some of the film stunts just for fun; and the crew breaking the Guinness World Record by getting a car to roll over eight times.