F/X (1986)

just watch it!

Brilliant and touching

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Sometimes it really all comes down to casting. And "F/X" is certainly no exception. The movie doesn't get going until Brian Dennehy shows up, and it's completely fair to say he's the movie's linchpin. Prior to that, it's all about the genial nature of its star special effects guru (Bryan Brown). But eventually it turns into a pretty good cat-n-mouse thriller, so long as you're taking it for what it is. I like this movie, in part for its inherent absurdity. The misdirection is silly, and I think that's why it's fun. Even the ending feels appropriate to the overall tone.And I can't be the only one who really enjoyed Roscoe Brown as the fed-up police captain. He's a long way from Sesame Street.7/10

I had this movie on my Instant Queue for a long time and never watched it for some reason. Anyway I just got done watching it and loved it! It was way better than I expected. I saw it had a 6.5 before I watched it so I thought it would be good, but it was really good to my surprise. The idea was original and exciting. If you haven't seen it the story is a Special Effects guy is asked by the government to help fake a former Mob members death so the Mob stops going after him. It turns out that wasn't the whole story and Roland(The main character) is in for a wild ride. It keeps you thinking and it actually has a good bit of action.If you have not seen it go watch it, I promise you will like it.

Movie special effects man Roland Tyler (Bryan Brown) is hired by two Justice Dept agents (Cliff DeYoung and Mason Adams) to fake the killing of a mobster (Jerry Orbach!) who's in the Witness Protection Program. He agrees but the mobster is actually killed by mistake. Soon Roland has the FBI AND the NY police led by Lt. Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) on his tail...but he has plenty of special effects (F/X) tricks to fool them.If you stop to think about this for one moment the plot has HUGE loopholes and some of the F/X Roland pulls off could never happen in real life...but the movie is SO entertaining you won't care! It moves quickly with a particularly vicious fight scene and a long exciting car chase thrown in. The F/X Roland uses to fight back are a lot of fun if totally implausible. The acting is (with one exception) very good. Bryan is handsome, muscular and lots of fun in his role. His Australian accent somehow helps. Dennehy plays his umpteenth cop role but he's still very good and lots of fun. DeYoung and Adams are great as the slimy villains and Orbach plays a role you've never seen him playing before--a villain! The only debit--Martha Gehman as Roland's assistant. The woman is a TERRIBLE actress and basically shrieks all her lines. Still this is a fun, quick little thriller well worth catching. I give it an 8.

"F/X: Murder by Illusion" is a well-written, intriguing film from the pens of Gregory Fleeman and Robert T. Megginson. Their sharp narrative constantly keeps you guessing throughout the 109 minute running time. Special effects (F/X) are always entertaining, as is the cast including Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy, who are always believable, in a clever, quick-witted movie.Robert Mandell never lets anything get out of hand, which he very easily could have given the nature of the film. Original music by "Rocky" composer Bill Conti is also very effective. I am looking forward to seeing the sequel.Wednesday, June 26, 1991 - Video