This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Lord of Illusions (1995)** 1/2 (out of 4) A dark illusionist named Nix (Daniel von Bargen) is leading a cult of people but his "understudy" Swann (Kevin J. O'Connor) kills him and puts an end to his evil deeds. Or so he thinks. Flash-forward thirteen years and private detective Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula) travels from New York to L.A. and soon finds himself caught up with Swann's wife (Famke Janssen) and trying to determine what's going on with this magic cult including Nix coming back from the dead.Clive Barker's LORD OF ILLUSIONS is a film that I really enjoyed on many levels but I think there was one major problem with it that I will get to in a bit. As far as the film goes, it's currently available in two versions. There's the original theatrical cut as well as the Director's Cut, which is what I watched since Barker has made it very clear that he prefers that the version people should judge the film on.What I enjoyed most about the picture was the film noir elements. Barker apparently really loved this D'Amour character and it's easy to see. This film is basically a mystery/detective film with horror elements thrown into it. I really thought the detective angle worked quite well and the story was good enough to hold your attention throughout most of the picture. I'd argue that the performances were also quite good with Bakula doing fine in the lead role. Von Bargen is exceptionally good as the villain and Janssen was great in the lead female role.The film offers up some good visual effects, great cinematography and pretty much on a technical level the film is very impressive. As I said, I really enjoyed the film as I watched it but at the same time I thought the 121-minute running time was a bit too long. After a while you start to wish the ending would come to get everything over with. I think the film loses its focus somewhat during the final third of the picture, although there's no question that the special effects get bumped up during the finale.

A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."Lord of Illusions" (R - 1995 - US)Sub-Genre: Paranormal/MysteryMy Score: 7.3Cast=7 Acting=8 Plot=9 Ending=7 Story=7 Scare=7 Jump=4 F/X=9 Creep=9 Mystery=7During a routine case in L.A., a NY private investigator stumbles over members of a fanatic cult...who are waiting for the resurrection of their leader."There are two worlds of magic. One is the glittering domain of the illusionist. The other is a secret place, where magic is a terrifying reality." If you are any type of Clive Barker fan, you should have already seen this. But if you haven't or heaven forbid you aren't familiar with Barker's work...this is worth a watch for sure!! A man wanted to become a god and changed his mind to be on DVD instead.

Now I've been a Clive Barker fan for years. Whether its his writing, directing, or painting I think he is quite brilliant."Lord Of Illusions" is an example of his brilliance. Great enriched storytelling about the ideologies within the story about death and the difference between magic and illusion.Bakula surprisingly is able to carry this film on his back but its the cult favorite Kevin J O Connor that pulled me in most of the time.Famke jansen of xmen fame is stunning to look at has a real film noir quality. Very erotic.Clive Barker is a true visionary in the field of horror, perhaps too much so for his own good. Studios meddling may have compromised his theatrical films, but thankfully all the necessary footage to restore his visions have beem saved. "Lord of Illusions" may be the most flawed of the three pictures he made, but it's still an unconventional film. It holds up very well upon repeat viewings.

Acclaimed author Clive Barker adapts his own story "The Last Illusion" for this not especially imaginative but still well realized terror tale. It does do a neat job of combining detective fiction with a more paranormal / mystical bent. Scott Bakula plays private detective Harry D'Amour, who travels from NYC to LA on a routine case, ends up caught in something far more sinister. Story threads include the apparent death of a performing illusionist, Philip Swann (Kevin J. O'Connor) and the resurrection of a diabolical cult leader, Nix (Daniel von Bargen). Harry meets assorted dubious types on his way to figuring out just what the Hell is going on, falling in love with the illusionists' wife Dorothea (Famke Janssen) as well. Nothing that happens here is terribly surprising, but Barker does make up for that with a consistently gloomy tone, overwhelming atmosphere, and effective visuals, and also by getting convincing performances out of his well chosen cast. Bakula is a likable enough lead, Famke looks fetching as always, von Bargen is a genuinely intimidating villain (it's easy enough to believe that his character is no phony, but the real thing); other vivid contributions are made by character players Joseph Latimore, Sheila Tousey, Susan Traylor, Wayne Grace, Barry Del Sherman, Joel Swetow, Vincent Schiavelli, and Barry Shabaka Henley. The movie has impressive gore & makeup effects, and in general does show off the same kind of theatricality as a good stage show, being careful to make the distinction between "magic" and "illusions". As it begins, Barker is already layering on the tension and giving us a sense of doom and gloom to come. This is a good, meaty enough story that, even in its 122 minute long unrated director's cut, avoids any sort of filler and delivers enough twists and turns to keep it interesting. It's only too bad that Barker isn't inspired to direct his own stories more often, as the movies he turns out are a cut above most of what we see in the horror genre. "Lord of Illusions" is long but never boring. Seven out of 10.