After opening theatrically in May 2024, The Fall Guy has finally landed on Peacock for home video streaming. With roughly 20 minutes restored to flesh out the story and deliver more visceral stunt-leaded action set pieces, The Fall Guy’s extended cut aims for a much more complete, additive experience than a redundant and repetitive one. For those who enjoyed the theatrical release or missed the movie, a closer look at the new scenes will help viewers decide whether it’s worth a watch.

Indeed, most deleted movie scenes are removed from a theatrical release for pacing and tempo, and to ensure the plot drives forward without too many unnecessary distractions. Yet, in the case of The Fall Guy, the extra scenes restored to the extended cut may answer outstanding questions, wrap up loose ends, and provide a much more satisfying sense of closure while delivering more action-packed thrills.

What Is The Fall Guy About?

A big-screen remake of the 1970s TV show of the same name, The Fall Guy is a funny, action-packed love letter to Hollywood stunt performers. Directed by longtime stunt double David Leitch, the movie stars Ryan Gosling as Colt Seavers, a battle-tested Hollywood stunt performer rebuilding his personal and professional life following a crushing workplace accident. Colt is known for doubling for the arrogant, A-list action movie star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and used to be romantically involved with budding mainstream director Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt).

Following a stunt gone awry, Colt suffers a brutal back injury that requires a long recovery for 18 months. After finding work as a valet driver, Jody’s Hollywood producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) informs Colt that Jody is directing her first feature film, an epic space saga called Metalstorm. Gail tells Colt that Jody needs him to be present on the Metalstorm set in Sydney, Australia. Yet, when he arrives down under, Colt learns that Jody had no idea he was coming, leading to an awkward romantic dynamic that plays out in front of the cast and crew with hilarious results.

The movie’s true plot kicks up when Gail tells Colt that Tom Ryder has been missing and must be found to complete the film shoot. As Colt helps Jody keep her movie on schedule, the two former lovers rekindle their bond with crackling comedic timing, witty barbs, and palpable chemistry that make them both easy to root for. Unlike most movies featuring gratuitous action and stuntwork, the dazzling stunts in The Fall Guy remain pertinent to the plot, which makes the story much more compelling. In the 20-minute extension, the result is even more complete and satisfying.

What Happens in The Fall Guy’s Extended Cut?
Universal Pictures

With 20 minutes restored to the movie’s theatrical version, The Fall Guy’s extended cut runs 2 hours and 26 minutes. While 20 minutes isn’t enough to dramatically alter the overarching narrative, the extra scenes make for a more enjoyable and well-rounded experience. For those who enjoyed Taylor-Johnson’s amusing turn as the self-absorbed Tom Ryder, his character gets much more screen time, dialog, and action scenes in the extended cut. For example, the scene where Colt meets Tom and his girlfriend Iggy (Teresa Palmer) is longer and more comically awkward.

Another hilarious additional scene includes Ryder and Jody interacting on the Metalstorm set, where he continues to flub a crucial monologue. Similarly, the final showstopping set piece requiring Colt to perform a real stunt to save Jody’s movie is given more room to breathe in the extended cut. Far from unneeded throwaway action, the extended scenes accentuate the plot twists more than the theatrical cut. For example, the instance when Tom reveals the truth about Gail using deep fake technology to frame Colt for murder is given much more dramatic heft in the extended cut.

Beyond Ryder’s increased role, the tender romance between Colt and Jody is the primary focus of the excised scenes restored in the longer version. Following his crushing back injury, Colt faces psychological hurdles that he must overcome to reunite with Jody. The extra footage functions to spotlight these mental and physical obstacles, beginning with Colt envisioning a devastating crash right before he performs the rolling car stunt.

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In one of the funniest movie moments, Colt hallucinates on psychedelic drugs while chasing a bad guy through the city, spotting unicorns in the most unlikely places during hot pursuit. The unicorn sequence is hilariously increased in the extended version, following Colt over a train and into a warehouse as he hallucinates more vividly and questions his sanity. Bigger, bolder, and better, the sequence makes Colt’s follow-up encounter with Gail and Jody in the hotel lobby even more amusing.

Another notably extended sequence in the longer version includes a key conversation between Colt and Gail after he finds the dead body on ice in Ryder’s bathtub. For eagle-eyed viewers and expert listeners, Gail’s involvement in the murder is hinted at in the extended conversation. The sequence also gives more screen time to Ryder’s assistant, Alma (Stephanie Hsu), once Colt snatches the dog.

Is The Fall Guy’s Extended Cut Worth Watching?
Universal Pictures

While it’s easy to say those who enjoyed The Fall Guy’s theatrical cut will also enjoy the extended cut and vice versa, that’s also a bit of a lazy copout. The reality is, that the scenes restored to the longer version help to develop the characters, flesh out the story, and tightly twist the knots and ties around the central murder mystery. Not only is the central plot given more expositional impact, but Ryder’s megalomania is ridiculed even more, and the romantic humor between Colt and Jody is amplified in the acclaimed Emily Blunt movie.

Some may complain about sitting through an additional 20 minutes, but The Fall Guy’s extended version makes for a less rushed, more fluid, and complete version of the story while adding more laughs and suspenseful action. Best of all, the affectionate ode to the Hollywood stunt community rings louder, demonstrating how much appreciation Leitch has for his industry roots.

While it’s understandable that the theatrical version was slimmed down for timing and pacing issues and to ensure more daily showings, the deleted scenes add plenty of entertaining character development and exhilarating stunt-driven action that drives rather than distracts from the plot. With all things considered, The Fall Guy’s extended cut is certainly worth watching.

The Fall Guy’s Extended Cut is available to stream on Peacock.