Directed by David Leitch (Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde), THE FALL GUY stars Oscar® nominee Ryan Gosling (Barbie, La La Land, Drive) as Colt Seavers, a battle-scarred stuntman who is drafted back into service after a near-career ending accident when Tom Ryder (Golden Globe® winner Aaron Taylor-Johnson; Bullet Train), the star of a mega-budget studio movie—being directed by Colt’s ex, Jody Moreno, played by Golden Globe® winner Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place films, Sicario)—goes missing.

For in-depth thoughts on The Fall Guy, please see my colleague Larry Fried’s review from its original SXSW debut here.

Video Quality

The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of The Fall Guy offers a welcome uptick in quality over the already great accompanying Blu-Ray. The film comes in its original Theatrical Version along with an Extended Cut, and surprisingly each cut is given its own 4K UHD disc rather than utilizing seamless branching. The results are stellar with a nice layer of grain that resolves more naturally on this release. Elements in the various environments of the film are more vivid and tactile with plenty of texture to observe. Skin tones appear a touch more natural with healthy doses of crisp detail apparent on faces such as sweat, cuts, and bruises.

Dolby Vision enhances the colors to great heights when it comes to vibrancy. The natural color palette always features complex hues with plenty of nuances. The refined range of the color spectrum is a sight to behold. Highlights in the film are firmer with whites more pure and balanced with no instances of blooming to be found. The black levels are particularly strong in this presentation, staying deep and inky with impeccable detail. This 4K UHD presentation knocks it out of the park on all fronts including strong gains in clarity and color. The Blu-Ray is great, but Universal does not play around with this latest 4K release.

Audio Quality

This disc comes equipped with a terrific Dolby Atmos presentation that fully transports you into this world. Dialogue is presented crisply and clearly without ever being drowned out by any of the competing sonic elements. The low end is engaged consistently as a part of the action set pieces. The sound design of this film is multifaceted, and the implementation of environmental sounds grounds you in the narrative. The mix here is a killer with precise engagement of all the channels.

Sounds are deftly rendered with exquisite directionality from the parade of kinetic scenes to the quieter dialogue-driven moments filled with hushed inflections. The music and the score are key to the experience, and this track brings every karaoke tune or crying-in-the-car song to life in an exceptional manner. There are elements in this track that are truly powerful, such as the parade of stunts that will make you sore in the morning. Universal has done a bang-up job here. Optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Theatrical Version (2:06:23) and Extended Cut (2:26:26)

Audio Commentary: Director/Producer David Leitch and Producer Kelly McCormick provide a terrific commentary track in which they mostly stick to scene-specific insights while sprinkling in other noteworthy stories. These two rarely take a moment to pause, and it is such a fun listen.

Gag Reel: A five-minute look at flubbed lines, laughing fits, malfunctioning props, and more.

Alternate Takes: A six-minute look at alternate versions and line readings of certain moments.

Stunts On Stunts – Breaking Down The Action: A look at the creation of some of the most exciting moments in the film.

- City Truck Jump /Sidewinder (3:01)

- Garbage Bin (3:56)

- Boat Chase (3:30)

- Car Jump (3:39)

- High Fall (4:51)

Making A Meta Masterpiece: A 16-minute piece that takes a look at the production of the film, the decision to bring this property to the screen, the love letter to stunt work, the Australian location shooting, the casting of the film, and more.

How To Break A World Record: A six-minute look at the effort that went into achieving a world record on one of the crazy stunts.

Nightclub Mayhem: A nearly four-minute look at the fight choreography of the crazy nightclub scene.

The Art of Doubling: A four-minute look at the real-life double for Ryan Gosling and the stunts he pulled off.

Making Metalstorm: A nearly five-minute featurette on the creation of the science fiction film within the film.

Falling For The Fall Guy with Bob Reese: A nearly five-minute piece with a professional parkour athlete recreating stunts from the film.

Final Thoughts

The Fall Guy is a very fun effort that delights in the joy of seeing Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt on screen together. The movie is very witty with a nice supply of laughs that are accompanied by some spectacular action set pieces that are a blast. Those with a passion for the behind-the-scenes details of movie-making will have a great time with some of the inside-baseball situations. Some moments drag slightly, which is not helped by the Extended Cut, but overall most should be entertained throughout. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray that has a marvelous A/V presentation and a pretty expansive assortment of special features. If you are craving something fun on the action-comedy front, checking out this one is a no-brainer. Recommended

The Fall Guy will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.