There are some very enjoyable sequences from the opening credits with the filming of an alien thriller and the use of special effects (gone berserk), a clown who mimics human behaviour (used for the ending of the film) and the final confrontation with the criminals. Rachel Ticotin is the strong leading lady. There is a good supporting cast including Philip Bosco as a corrupt policeman and Joanna Gleeson as a corrupt lawyer.
He gets on well with Brian Dennehy, this time the ex cop, but skilled in investigation. Bryan Brown brings his laconic charm to the central role. This film is mainly a reworking of the original rather than a sequel.
″FX2″ is an Orion Pictures release produced by Jack Wiener and Dodi Fayed. Bill Condon wrote the neatly fashioned sequel. Richard Franklin, an Australian and disciple of Alfred Hitchcock, directed with a keen eye for character as well as action. The real-life special effects man, Eric Allard, ranks as a star of the movie, too. The supporting cast is first-rate: Rachel Ticotin, Joanna Gleason, Philip Bosco, Tom Mason. He can give an edge of mystery to the most mundane of lines. His size is always impressive, but even more so is his air of unpredictability. Dennehy doesn’t appear until about 45 minutes into the movie, but what a difference he makes. That’s when Brown unloads his tricks.īrown makes a marvelous Rollie, laid-back but resolute: He would have made a marvelous James Bond. The best part comes in the set-piece finale, when Bryan and Brian find themselves in a situation that might baffle Superman. This is leavened by clever wit, especially from Bluey, who should definitely be held over for ″FX3.″ The first part of ″FX2″ is customary hyper-active stuff - car chase on Manhattan streets, pitched battle in a supermarket (a favorite locale for recent screen action).
Brown calls on the equally reluctant Dennehy to help. He reluctantly agrees and soon is plunged into a violent world of attacking cyborgs, vicious hit men and corrupt officials.
Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) has left the New York City Police Department to operate as a private detective - not too impressively, it seems.īrown’s placid new life, which he shares with Rachel Ticotin and her young son, is interrupted when he is asked to help track down a would-be killer.
But 8 million copies were sold to video stores, hence the sequel: ″FX2 - The Deadly Art of Illusion.″įive year later, Rollie (Bryan Brown) has abandoned movie sets to invent ingenious toys, including a clown named Bluey who can imitate most human behavior. The Orion film, directed by Robert Mandel, created only a small splash in 1986, possibly in part because of the confusing title (it’s Hollywood shorthand for special effects). He’s that smooth, nerveless wizard who used his mastery of movie special effects to thwart the bad guys in ″F/X.″ Undated (AP) _ Rollie Harper is back, with a whole new wagonload of tricks.