Directed by:
Robert MandelCinematography:
Miroslav OndříčekComposer:
Bill ContiCast:
Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora, Cliff De Young, Mason Adams, Jerry Orbach, Joe Grifasi, Roscoe Orman, Tom Noonan, Paul D'Amato, James Pickens Jr. (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Special effects expert Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) is widely acknowledged as the best in the business. Hired by the Justice Department to fake the death of Mafia boss-turned-informant Nicholas DeFranco, Rollie pulls the job off without a hitch. However, when the Mafioso kingpin goes missing for real, it is the SFX man who is collared for his murder. On the run from both the police and the mob, Rollie now has to rely on his skills of deception in order to survive. (101 Films)
(more)Reviews (2)
A pretty good picture with a great idea involving a skilled sfx man who naively gets involved in a game played by powerful players where he becomes just an expendable pawn, but... Unfortunately the original idea of using of “deadly special effects" is the only positive point of the picture, while the actors and the screenplay let the side down, resulting in a humdrum, although slightly above-average movie.
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The film is exactly on the edge between three and four stars, and although I ultimately decided on a lower rating, in its category, it is definitely an above-average piece. Indeed, the script sometimes falters, and the whole story has significant logical gaps, but it is filmed with ease and almost a comedic exaggeration, so these kinds of illogicalities don't bother me, and I generously wave my hand over them. F/X doesn't work for me as a thriller but as a crime comedy with several interesting ideas borrowed from the film studio. Overall impression: 65%.
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