RocketeerFlyer
Joined Dec 2009
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Ratings285
RocketeerFlyer's rating
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RocketeerFlyer's rating
So, one might have heard of a game of two halves, but I don't think I can ever recall a movie having been so...NOT LIKE THIS ONE ANYWAY.
I was a teenager when the original "FALL GUY" Tv series aired, with Lee Majors in the role of Colt Seavers and he remains the go to for me along with the original Tv characters of Jody & Howey & I always had a soft spot for the go-between lady played by Markie Post (sadly departed last year)
I was looking forward to this film version of one of my favourite tv shows from the 80's but it truly was a tale of two halves for me...
1st Half
And here's a word I ain't used in awhile, I found the first hour of this film rather SAPPY.
It dragged with Colt pining for Jody after an early incident.
It seemed so SLOW to get going, a few stunts here & there it's true but I hoped it would grab me from the start & didn't & when I got to half way through, I did wonder if I should continue, so disappointed was I by most of this first hour.
I didn't expect a script that was going to blow your socks off & this was proven to be the case, but still, there was something missing...
It just didn't feel like the FALL GUY I remembered...
I very much like both leading actors (Ryan Gosling, whom I cannot wait to see in Star Wars : Starfighter (perhaps strangely enough a kind of "The Last Starfighter" sequel some of we kids from the 80's hoped might happen, but perhaps will do so within the Star Wars Universe? And seriously who doesn't like Emily Blunt? A superbly talented actress, who's performances nearly always HIT THE BULLSEYE) so why didn't I take to their characters in this?
Perhaps it was that I was tied up with the fun, close knit characters from the original Tv series, Colt & Jody here are very much different to the originals and sadly no Howey.
I decided to continue with it & surprisingly rather liked it more by this half way point.
2nd Half...
I was amazed how from this point of the film I began to like it more & I can't say it was because I'd got used to the way these two main characters had developed & got used too...
It just changed to FULL ON "STUNTS" / "ACTION" mode & where the sappy stuff got thrown out the window & the COMEDY began to work more.
Stick around until the 'DOG' shows up & those that didn't like it up to this point (might?) like me come around to ACTUALLY ENJOYING it.
I felt like, had they got to this point earlier then I'd have probably loved the film more.
As it is...
It's a real curious one for me.
For I would score the first hour at 4 out of 10, whilst the second half was rather enjoyable & FUN, rating an 8 out of 10.
Which brings about a score of 6/10 from me, I don't think I've been as disappointed watching the first hour of a film, only to be surprisingly turned around by it in the 2nd hour.
Not sure if a sequel to this will ever show up & I'm in two minds as to if I would want there to be one, but if they do, it would be interesting to see how they go about it.
There's a FANTASTIC old Burt Reynolds film which dealt with "STUNT GUYS & GALS" (where would we be without them) and it's stuck in memory forever, having seen it as a little boy in the cinema with my father...
It was called "HOOPER"
And I would ask anyone who enjoyed this film to go & see HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE.
Those that didn't like this attempt at THE FALL GUY will almost certainly 'LOVE' like I "HOOPER" as it's done to perfection...
Reynolds is exceptional in it.
Gets a possible life threatening injury if he continues & a young kid on the block shows up trying to top him.
Reynolds group is FUN, HILARIOUS, CHARMING & the script is smart for such a film & everyone who's seen it remembers the FINAL 'BIG' Stunt.
This (HOOPER) paired with the TV series of THE FALL GUY is perhaps what i was wishing to see, but sadly we only got this in the 2nd Half of the film.
I was a teenager when the original "FALL GUY" Tv series aired, with Lee Majors in the role of Colt Seavers and he remains the go to for me along with the original Tv characters of Jody & Howey & I always had a soft spot for the go-between lady played by Markie Post (sadly departed last year)
I was looking forward to this film version of one of my favourite tv shows from the 80's but it truly was a tale of two halves for me...
1st Half
And here's a word I ain't used in awhile, I found the first hour of this film rather SAPPY.
It dragged with Colt pining for Jody after an early incident.
It seemed so SLOW to get going, a few stunts here & there it's true but I hoped it would grab me from the start & didn't & when I got to half way through, I did wonder if I should continue, so disappointed was I by most of this first hour.
I didn't expect a script that was going to blow your socks off & this was proven to be the case, but still, there was something missing...
It just didn't feel like the FALL GUY I remembered...
I very much like both leading actors (Ryan Gosling, whom I cannot wait to see in Star Wars : Starfighter (perhaps strangely enough a kind of "The Last Starfighter" sequel some of we kids from the 80's hoped might happen, but perhaps will do so within the Star Wars Universe? And seriously who doesn't like Emily Blunt? A superbly talented actress, who's performances nearly always HIT THE BULLSEYE) so why didn't I take to their characters in this?
Perhaps it was that I was tied up with the fun, close knit characters from the original Tv series, Colt & Jody here are very much different to the originals and sadly no Howey.
I decided to continue with it & surprisingly rather liked it more by this half way point.
2nd Half...
I was amazed how from this point of the film I began to like it more & I can't say it was because I'd got used to the way these two main characters had developed & got used too...
It just changed to FULL ON "STUNTS" / "ACTION" mode & where the sappy stuff got thrown out the window & the COMEDY began to work more.
Stick around until the 'DOG' shows up & those that didn't like it up to this point (might?) like me come around to ACTUALLY ENJOYING it.
I felt like, had they got to this point earlier then I'd have probably loved the film more.
As it is...
It's a real curious one for me.
For I would score the first hour at 4 out of 10, whilst the second half was rather enjoyable & FUN, rating an 8 out of 10.
Which brings about a score of 6/10 from me, I don't think I've been as disappointed watching the first hour of a film, only to be surprisingly turned around by it in the 2nd hour.
Not sure if a sequel to this will ever show up & I'm in two minds as to if I would want there to be one, but if they do, it would be interesting to see how they go about it.
There's a FANTASTIC old Burt Reynolds film which dealt with "STUNT GUYS & GALS" (where would we be without them) and it's stuck in memory forever, having seen it as a little boy in the cinema with my father...
It was called "HOOPER"
And I would ask anyone who enjoyed this film to go & see HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE.
Those that didn't like this attempt at THE FALL GUY will almost certainly 'LOVE' like I "HOOPER" as it's done to perfection...
Reynolds is exceptional in it.
Gets a possible life threatening injury if he continues & a young kid on the block shows up trying to top him.
Reynolds group is FUN, HILARIOUS, CHARMING & the script is smart for such a film & everyone who's seen it remembers the FINAL 'BIG' Stunt.
This (HOOPER) paired with the TV series of THE FALL GUY is perhaps what i was wishing to see, but sadly we only got this in the 2nd Half of the film.
As a child of the 70's I was LUCKY that my father enjoyed the original TV SERIES & that somehow I was able to watch a few of the episodes (from time to time) late at night, a gritty British tv police detective series to be sure, which holds dear to those that saw it.
The original had two fantastic leads in the shape of JOHN THAW & DENNIS WATERMAN...
These guys from the original came across as ordinary NO NONSENSE coppers, but one's who when messed with found an extra HARD MAN level, this made them easy to root for (especially later when I watched this series again later as a teenager) where as these two guys in this remake movie are NO MATCH for them....
Ray Winstone has THAT REPUTATION of being a hard man (always) with some humour but he's nothing on THAW. Winstone is your typical 'GEEZER' from London (if you like this type? You may like him in this, I don't, I find him one dimensional & someone who nearly always plays the same type of role (even in a real life...I'm a HARD MAN so listen up, really? Not unlike Danny Dier another so called HARD MAN ;) well, again he's another who seems to adopt this characteristic in many of his movies) if you like these sorts you may like this movie, but I prefer the more layered JOHN THAW & DENNIS WATERMAN who in the series were NOT out & out HARD MEN, yet one got the feeling had they encountered Winstone & Plan B in battle they'd have made mince meat of them...
They had ANOTHER LEVEL.
Nick Love director & writer must have LOVED the original series to make this, but sadly it was of it's era & it does not translate well years later & these familiar characters LOVED by many from the 1970's are hard to root for here sadly.
It's not ALL BAD, but it's a far cry from the original & still way better TV SERIES.
The original had two fantastic leads in the shape of JOHN THAW & DENNIS WATERMAN...
These guys from the original came across as ordinary NO NONSENSE coppers, but one's who when messed with found an extra HARD MAN level, this made them easy to root for (especially later when I watched this series again later as a teenager) where as these two guys in this remake movie are NO MATCH for them....
Ray Winstone has THAT REPUTATION of being a hard man (always) with some humour but he's nothing on THAW. Winstone is your typical 'GEEZER' from London (if you like this type? You may like him in this, I don't, I find him one dimensional & someone who nearly always plays the same type of role (even in a real life...I'm a HARD MAN so listen up, really? Not unlike Danny Dier another so called HARD MAN ;) well, again he's another who seems to adopt this characteristic in many of his movies) if you like these sorts you may like this movie, but I prefer the more layered JOHN THAW & DENNIS WATERMAN who in the series were NOT out & out HARD MEN, yet one got the feeling had they encountered Winstone & Plan B in battle they'd have made mince meat of them...
They had ANOTHER LEVEL.
Nick Love director & writer must have LOVED the original series to make this, but sadly it was of it's era & it does not translate well years later & these familiar characters LOVED by many from the 1970's are hard to root for here sadly.
It's not ALL BAD, but it's a far cry from the original & still way better TV SERIES.
I have become more & more an admirer of Benedict Cumberbatch & this performance just continues my reasons to be so, he is clearly one of the finest actors around at this time.
WHO is Greville Wynne?
And WHY had I never heard of he? Or his story before?
Well, I guess we cannot know EVERYTHING right.
I am so glad that I now know of not one, but two incredibly BRAVE , WORTHY & GOOD human beings (An Englishman by the name of Greville) who risked much after being persuaded into being a go to with another very BRAVE, WORTHY & GOOD human being (a Russian by the name of Oleg Penkovsky) GOD BLESS YOU BOTH.
This film depicts a TRUE STORY.
And it begins like an old fashioned, superbly filmed, acted & scripted SPY DRAMA.
I very nearly didn't watch this because it was shown on BBC1 late tonight, beginning at 11.45pm, ending at 1.30am.
What made me watch this so late?
Benedict (of course) but also that it was a 'SPY' film that I had no idea existed.
I noted it was released in 2020, so this clearly being during COVID still, gives the reason as to why I had no idea about it (and I'm a BIG FILM / MOVIES fan) but I am so glad I know of it now.
This is a 10/10 performance from Mr Cumberbatch, for he is really portraying two characters in one here, the one as Greville as we meet & then follow him with his trips to Russia & then the man he seen in the final section of this film...
WHICH I WILL NOT SPOIL FOR YOU FOLKS.
It is safe to say though, that his character changes & if your a caring & feeling human being? Knowing that these two main characters portrayed here were actually 'REAL PEOPLE' who DID THIS, NOT for themselves but for the safety of our World at this time (the time of the CUBAN MISSILE Crisis) because who else was going to do it? (OLEG PENKOVSKY & GREVILLE WYNNE I truly do THANK-YOU)
I was enjoying this for much of it's running time & then we came to this more serious end section & maybe I'm just getting OLDER & now realise (more than ever) that this WORLD is being RUN by IDIOTIC LEADERS who think of nothing but WAR & VIOLENCE & KEEPING the Ordinary Good & Caring people DOWN, through use of manipulation & the threat of violence towards them.
I had no idea how this was going to end but as it got to this point how could one not tear up (even if just a little) but I'm afraid I understood how TRULY BRAVE these two fellows had been...
This guy OLEG was NOT a TRAITOR to RUSSIA (Oh you'll find this out soon enough early in the film) he should be considered a HERO of RUSSIA...
For it may well be that without he & our own Mr Wynne we may not have been here right now (me typing this late after this BBC airing & you reading this, perhaps worth a thought & some THANKS to these people)
It gets much darker does this film near the ending but it has to, one cannot sugar coat such things & Mr Cumberbatch has clearly gone to places many of us would not to film such a character & a fine match opposite he is the actor playing Oleg by the name of Merab Ninidze who in a difficult role provides another exceptional performance.
There are NO WEAK LINKS here for me...
The acting, the direction (wonderful looking until this darker ending, the contrast is stark, yet clearly needed, yet it gives what is needed at this time) the music fits the film beautifully, but it's the STORY that I think the people of this superb film will be MOST PROUD OF I would hope?
A collective effort which is very much a success & worthy of finding & watching again every now again, if only to HONOUR all these brave folks who tried & very well helped save us...but for how long?
Where are the next BRAVE SOULS? That may be needed sooner rather than later, whom might save us from a RUSSIA intent of carrying out a dictator's angry WAR against lost Soviet Union nations & at the cost of not only against the ordinary, good folks of Ukraine but also those Russian soldiers who very likely have NO IDEA what the 'REAL STORY IS' behind this war..
I wish I could say such films perhaps make us realise the STUPIDITY of past aggressions, but alas, it seems we HUMANS continue to play them out OVER & OVER AGAIN...
Why?
Well, for one we sure don't get the intelligent & caring Human Souls who should be in charge of such frightening nations with NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
Listen carefully to what JFK says within this film at a certain point...
It still rings TRUE to this DAY.
THERE ARE NO REASONS FOR HAVING NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON THIS PLANET...AT ALL.
Some of those that have them, may persuade themselves that they CAN USE them & get away with it? THEY WON'T and then it will ESCULATE & we'll be back where we were at the time of this film.
CRAZY AIN'T IT.
Either we get better more intelligent, human friendly LEADERS (which is for their countries citizens to achieve somehow...it's not easy, in the likes of Russia, China & North Korea to be sure) OR we somehow get these folks around a TABLE & somehow come to some extraordinary agreement to get rid of them?
YEAH & GOOD LUCK With THAT.
This is a film that just gets you wondering...
How did such LEADERS ever manage to achieve such power in their nations which provide a threat to their own people but also the entire WORLD & how does one stop them for holding the entire planet to ransom by way of having these nuclear weapons if we cannot get them around the table... Even if we do, then as per usual, THEY WILL WANT SOMETHING FOR DOING SO.
An endless circle of NONSENSE.
I know I've gone away now somewhat from this film, but THIS is what the film makes one think about (and that's a GOOD THING) and I see no way out of it.
Might one be able to read this in a years time or 5, 10, 20 years time, will one be doing so in the knowledge that such a NUCLEAR WEAPON/S had now been used? And how's it going then in 2026? 2030? 2035, 2045? Did the GOOD GUYS win?
The one's who DID NOT FIRE first?
NO, we all suffered WORLD WIDE & so one asks again how do we stop what many believe will one day happen?
Now...I'm really going off topic but it's a CRAZY thought, other intelligent beings, far more advanced than us & hopefully wiser & kinder than we, might just (HOPEFULLY) be monitoring us & perhaps it's they who may SAVE US?
I HOPE SO for I think most of us are worth saving!
WHO is Greville Wynne?
And WHY had I never heard of he? Or his story before?
Well, I guess we cannot know EVERYTHING right.
I am so glad that I now know of not one, but two incredibly BRAVE , WORTHY & GOOD human beings (An Englishman by the name of Greville) who risked much after being persuaded into being a go to with another very BRAVE, WORTHY & GOOD human being (a Russian by the name of Oleg Penkovsky) GOD BLESS YOU BOTH.
This film depicts a TRUE STORY.
And it begins like an old fashioned, superbly filmed, acted & scripted SPY DRAMA.
I very nearly didn't watch this because it was shown on BBC1 late tonight, beginning at 11.45pm, ending at 1.30am.
What made me watch this so late?
Benedict (of course) but also that it was a 'SPY' film that I had no idea existed.
I noted it was released in 2020, so this clearly being during COVID still, gives the reason as to why I had no idea about it (and I'm a BIG FILM / MOVIES fan) but I am so glad I know of it now.
This is a 10/10 performance from Mr Cumberbatch, for he is really portraying two characters in one here, the one as Greville as we meet & then follow him with his trips to Russia & then the man he seen in the final section of this film...
WHICH I WILL NOT SPOIL FOR YOU FOLKS.
It is safe to say though, that his character changes & if your a caring & feeling human being? Knowing that these two main characters portrayed here were actually 'REAL PEOPLE' who DID THIS, NOT for themselves but for the safety of our World at this time (the time of the CUBAN MISSILE Crisis) because who else was going to do it? (OLEG PENKOVSKY & GREVILLE WYNNE I truly do THANK-YOU)
I was enjoying this for much of it's running time & then we came to this more serious end section & maybe I'm just getting OLDER & now realise (more than ever) that this WORLD is being RUN by IDIOTIC LEADERS who think of nothing but WAR & VIOLENCE & KEEPING the Ordinary Good & Caring people DOWN, through use of manipulation & the threat of violence towards them.
I had no idea how this was going to end but as it got to this point how could one not tear up (even if just a little) but I'm afraid I understood how TRULY BRAVE these two fellows had been...
This guy OLEG was NOT a TRAITOR to RUSSIA (Oh you'll find this out soon enough early in the film) he should be considered a HERO of RUSSIA...
For it may well be that without he & our own Mr Wynne we may not have been here right now (me typing this late after this BBC airing & you reading this, perhaps worth a thought & some THANKS to these people)
It gets much darker does this film near the ending but it has to, one cannot sugar coat such things & Mr Cumberbatch has clearly gone to places many of us would not to film such a character & a fine match opposite he is the actor playing Oleg by the name of Merab Ninidze who in a difficult role provides another exceptional performance.
There are NO WEAK LINKS here for me...
The acting, the direction (wonderful looking until this darker ending, the contrast is stark, yet clearly needed, yet it gives what is needed at this time) the music fits the film beautifully, but it's the STORY that I think the people of this superb film will be MOST PROUD OF I would hope?
A collective effort which is very much a success & worthy of finding & watching again every now again, if only to HONOUR all these brave folks who tried & very well helped save us...but for how long?
Where are the next BRAVE SOULS? That may be needed sooner rather than later, whom might save us from a RUSSIA intent of carrying out a dictator's angry WAR against lost Soviet Union nations & at the cost of not only against the ordinary, good folks of Ukraine but also those Russian soldiers who very likely have NO IDEA what the 'REAL STORY IS' behind this war..
I wish I could say such films perhaps make us realise the STUPIDITY of past aggressions, but alas, it seems we HUMANS continue to play them out OVER & OVER AGAIN...
Why?
Well, for one we sure don't get the intelligent & caring Human Souls who should be in charge of such frightening nations with NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
Listen carefully to what JFK says within this film at a certain point...
It still rings TRUE to this DAY.
THERE ARE NO REASONS FOR HAVING NUCLEAR WEAPONS ON THIS PLANET...AT ALL.
Some of those that have them, may persuade themselves that they CAN USE them & get away with it? THEY WON'T and then it will ESCULATE & we'll be back where we were at the time of this film.
CRAZY AIN'T IT.
Either we get better more intelligent, human friendly LEADERS (which is for their countries citizens to achieve somehow...it's not easy, in the likes of Russia, China & North Korea to be sure) OR we somehow get these folks around a TABLE & somehow come to some extraordinary agreement to get rid of them?
YEAH & GOOD LUCK With THAT.
This is a film that just gets you wondering...
How did such LEADERS ever manage to achieve such power in their nations which provide a threat to their own people but also the entire WORLD & how does one stop them for holding the entire planet to ransom by way of having these nuclear weapons if we cannot get them around the table... Even if we do, then as per usual, THEY WILL WANT SOMETHING FOR DOING SO.
An endless circle of NONSENSE.
I know I've gone away now somewhat from this film, but THIS is what the film makes one think about (and that's a GOOD THING) and I see no way out of it.
Might one be able to read this in a years time or 5, 10, 20 years time, will one be doing so in the knowledge that such a NUCLEAR WEAPON/S had now been used? And how's it going then in 2026? 2030? 2035, 2045? Did the GOOD GUYS win?
The one's who DID NOT FIRE first?
NO, we all suffered WORLD WIDE & so one asks again how do we stop what many believe will one day happen?
Now...I'm really going off topic but it's a CRAZY thought, other intelligent beings, far more advanced than us & hopefully wiser & kinder than we, might just (HOPEFULLY) be monitoring us & perhaps it's they who may SAVE US?
I HOPE SO for I think most of us are worth saving!
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