Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

How wonderful it is to see this fine actress carry a film and carry it so beautifully.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

(Flash Review)This movie is like walking on early winter lake ice, don't jump too hard or you may fall through sketchy plot 'holes'. zing. This is one of those movies that is mildly entertaining yet if you try, you can get hung up on various odd plot points/holes. Overall, this has a rather unique and clever story approach wrapped in sub-standard 80's production quality which isn't typically a high bar. The protagonist, Rollie, is a top tier movie special effects artist and is recruited by the FBI to help stage an assassination to more easily place a person into witness protection. Rollie not only ends up in a leading role of his own real yet fake movie stunt but gets more than he bargained for. Will he be able to use his unique creativity to get himself out of a sticky situation? This movie was detective based with several twists and turns. Has some clever 80's effects scenes yet at times feels cheap with some questionable director decisions and ho-hum car chases. This also has one of the WORST acting efforts I've ever seen by the 2nd supporting female actress. She only says a few short lines but her delivery is simply laughable.

Bryan Brown is a special effects expert hired by federal agents Cliff De Young and Mason Adams to arrange a phony execution for the state's valuable witness against the mob. When the fifteen million bucks that hangs in the balance is recovered, the cooperative witness, Jerry Orbach, will be spirited away and put in a witness relocation program.The problem is that it's a scam. De Young and Adams and Orbach are in cahoots. An innocent man is assassinated and Brown is framed for the job. Instead of being killed himself, by De Young, as planned, Brown makes his escape and hides in the apartment of his girl friend, Diane Venora. This is a fine place to hide, what with the gorgeous and sexy Venora slinking around in her slip. But the evildoers locate her place and she is killed accidentally. Bryan manages to off her murderer after a brutal fight in the apartment.The NYPD in the person of Brian Dennehy are called in on the homicide. Suspicion immediately falls on Brown, but Dennehy has grave doubts about his guilt and suspects the Feds are "bent." I think this is one of those movies in which the FBI are called by some other acronym -- the PDQ or the QED or the OMG or something.Dennehy is one of those aggressive cops with an abundance of self confidence and an abrasive attitude towards his superiors and he's forced, in a ritual scene, to hand over his gun and badge. Nevertheless, he continues his investigation, as suspended movie cops are wont to do. Bryan Brown is investigating from the other end.This, I believe, is one of those movies called "high concept." That is, the plot is built around a particular idea -- a location, a new machine ("Robocop"), or some other device. In this case, the gimmick is Brown's expertise with special effects. He uses squibs, prosthetics, blank cartridges, bottle rockets, smoke bombs, dummies, and other fakery to outwit his enemies. Sometimes the tactics are pretty low tech. He dumps some oil out of the back of his van during a pursuit and the cop cars skid into one another.Otherwise, it's a rather routine thriller with a couple of worthwhile high spots.Brown's visage seems more suited to light comedy than to drama. Dennehy is stolid and admirable in the firmness of his convictions. Venora is scrumptious. The pace is fast, the movie sufficiently involving, and afterward forgettable.

"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

Given the glowing reviews for this movie, I am surprised at how much I disliked it. The movie has more than its share of glaring plot holes— some reviewers warn against examining all plot elements too closely. This is an indulgence I will (reluctantly) respect since the movie, in my opinion, has a much more serious and grating problem.What I found off-putting about the movie is that, except for Diane Venora's brief role as Bryan Brown's girlfriend, there is not a sympathetic character to be found anywhere. Brown's character—the heart of the story after all-- starts off a likable "everyman." but becomes increasingly less so as the story proceeds until he devolves into a cold-blooded killer, indifferent to the carnage he is creating around him—- not every federal agent has to die-- and corrupt, too. In the van chase scene, he is oblivious to the public menace he is causing in using his f/x tricks. (This could have been mitigated with a single line of dialog or a look of concern; but, never mind.) I wanted to like Martha Gehman's character as Brown's assistant, but she lost me with her gleeful "I wish I could have seen the look on his face" when she tricked the pursuing detective into thinking he had run over a woman. Finally, the transformation of Brian Dennehy's character into just another corrupt cop left me with a distinct sour taste at the end of the movie. After everything is said and done, for Brown and Dennehy it's all about the money. Even Schwarzenegger was never this cynical in his movies. The last thing that bothered me is that I always presumed movie special effects were to keep the actors safe. Since here they are used to kill, it seems like a betrayal of their purpose.On the positive side, I had no problems with the casting or acting. Maybe things improved in f/x 2. I can only hope.