The Fall (2006)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A paralyzed stuntman and a young girl in a hospital weave a collaborative epic tale that blurs the lines between reality and imagination.
The story
In 1920s Los Angeles, a paralyzed stuntman named Roy Walker is bedridden in a hospital. He meets Alexandria, a young girl recovering from a broken arm. To pass the time, Roy begins to tell her an epic, fantastical tale about five heroes seeking revenge against an evil ruler. As the story unfolds, Alexandria's imagination brings the characters to life, and the two begin to collaborate on the narrative. However, Roy has a hidden motive for his storytelling, and the bond between the two patients becomes complicated by the reality of their situation and the growing complexity of the shared myth.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1920s Los Angeles, stuntman Roy Walker is paralyzed after a stunt gone wrong. He meets a young girl, Alexandria, and tells her a sprawling tale of five heroes—including a silent Indian warrior and a masked bandit—fighting the villainous Governor Odious. As they tell the story, Alexandria's imagination animates the world. Roy secretly intends to use the story to trick Alexandria into stealing morphine for his suicide, but she mistakenly takes only three pills. After a series of mishaps, Roy survives but is forced to continue the story. The narrative becomes a shared journey where the characters represent their own lives. In a final twist, the bandit rejects his ex-girlfriend's manipulations. The film ends with the two watching a film Roy starred in, where his stunt was cut. Later, Alexandria returns to her family's orange grove, imagining all the stuntmen in the world as Roy.
- First release year
- 2006
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- India; United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Tarsem
- Writers
- Dan Gilroy · screenplay; Nico Soultanakis · screenplay; Tarsem · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Lee Pace · Roy Walker / Black Bandit; Catinca Untaru · Alexandria / Bandit's daughter; Justine Waddell · Nurse Evelyn / Sister Evelyn; Daniel Caltagirone · Sinclair / Governor Odious; Marcus Wesley · Ice delivery man / Otta Benga; Robin Smith · One-legged actor / Luigi; Jeetu Verma · Orange picker / Indian; Kim Uylenbroek · Doctor / Alexander the Great; Leo Bill · Orderly / Charles Darwin; Emil Hoștină · Alexandria's father / Blue Bandit; Julian Bleach · Mystic / Orange picker; Ronald France · Otto (the "old man")
- Genres
- adventure; fantasy
- Themes
- storytelling; imagination; identity; historical context
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; dreamlike
- Setting
- 1920s Los Angeles
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; adventure; drama; historical; meta-fiction
- Source material / true-story basis
- Yo Ho Ho (1981)
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising its visual ambition despite its fragmented narrative. It appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008 and was noted for its unique visual style.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 64% · scale: percentage · review count: 116
- Production trivia
- The film was presented by David Fincher and Spike Jonze.; Lee Pace remained in a bed and used a wheelchair for most of the early filming to ensure realism.; The film's production involved footage shot in 24 countries.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…