Kick. Boom. Wow.

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Kick. Boom. Wow.

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By Ben Elliott

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“How’d they do that?”

That’s been one of the defining questions of the movie-going experience for over 100 years and, more often than not, the answer boils down to two words: Stunt Performers.

Whether it’s the acrobatics of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, the chariot race of Ben-Hur, the kinetic fight sequences of Jackie Chan of Michelle Yeoh, or the speeding pursuit of the War Boys in Mad Max: Fury Road, stunt work is at the core of the moments that make movies the movies.

Safety Last!, 1923

But when action sequences fly by in the blink of an eye, it can be easy to take this work for granted. For every punch, explosion, and chase we see on screen, we don’t see the months of prep that go into them — never mind the years of professional experience and practice that allow stunt performers to operate at such a high level.

The Fall Guy, director David Leitch’s comedic ode to stunt work starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, which opens at The Triplex this weekend, is an opportunity to give these performers the recognition they deserve. Because while we regularly celebrate actors like Tom Cruise for doing their own stunts, we don’t know the names of the men and women who spend their careers putting their lives on the line for our enjoyment.

The Fall Guy, 2024

And there's already an effort to raise their profile: a grassroots campaign to create an Academy Award for Best Stunt Performance. The SAG Awards and Emmys already have similar categories, and it would go a long way if the Academy recognized these performers for the skilled artists they are.

Because without their work, there would be way less “wow” in the movies.

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