F/X (1986)

A movie special effects man is hired to fake a real-life mob killing for a witness protection plan, but finds his own life in danger.

Director:

Robert Mandel

Writers:

Robert T. Megginson, Gregory Fleeman

Stars:

Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bryan Brown	...	Roland 'Rollie' Tyler
Brian Dennehy	...	Lt. Leo McCarthy
Diane Venora	...	Ellen Keith
Cliff De Young	...	Martin Lipton
Mason Adams	...	Col. Mason
Jerry Orbach	...	Nicholas DeFranco
Joe Grifasi	...	Mickey Gaglione
Martha Gehman	...	Andy
Roscoe Orman	...	Capt. Jake Wallenger
Trey Wilson	...	Lt. Murdoch
Tom Noonan	...	Varrick
Paul D'Amato	...	Gallagher
Jossie DeGuzman	...	Marisa Velez (as Jossie deGuzman)
Jean De Baer	...	Whitemore
M'el Dowd	...	Joyce Lehman (Miss Lehman) (as M'eL Dowd)

Storyline

A movies special effects man is hired by a government agency to help stage the assassination of a well known gangster. When the agency double crosses him, he uses his special effects to trap the gangster and the corrupt agents.

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Plot Keywords:

fake assassination | faked death | film within a film | special effects | fake murder | 

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Taglines:

Murder by Illusion

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Special effects man John Stears claimed that he had been offered money by government agencies to simulate various things as depicted in the film.

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Goofs

The car's condition when it is being deliberately smashed up.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The director: Cut! Cut! Cut! Cut! Cut! Cut! Cut! Cut! Great. Great. Great. We got it. Great. You ladies all right? What about you? You okay?
Rollie Tyler: Ellen, come on out of there.

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Crazy Credits

Just at the start of the end credits, the camera flashes briefly through out-take type shots of the eight principal players (Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora, Cliff De Young, Mason Adams, Jerry Orbach, Martha Gehman, and Joe Grifasi). Each actor smiles out-of-character at the camera as though in appreciation to the audience of their performances.

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Alternate Versions

The Australian VHS and television version open with a different title logo. Instead of the domestic gray title card, it has the words F/X, in red on a black background. The letters then glow bright and fade out.

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Connections

References The Wide World of Mystery: Rock-a-Die Baby (1975)

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Soundtracks

JUST AN ILLUSION
Performed by Imagination
Courtesy of Red Bus Records

User Reviews

A child of its time

This is very much an 80's action flick. It's got the tough cop who doesn't play by the rules. The unexpected hero. Car chasing, shoot-outs, and a theme song concocted to perfectly match with the movie it's for running over the end credits. Not every last one of those are good, though they tend to be entertaining. Fortunately, this one is both. And quite original and creative, too. Brown stars as Rollie Tyler, a special effects genius who is hired to help fake the death of a mobster, Orbach, who's going into a witness protection program. However, something goes wrong, and our lead now believes that he accidentally did kill him. The plot holds several surprises and twists, and it's carefully written enough to keep you guessing, without being pretentious or overly difficult to follow, and the pieces of the puzzle fit together nicely after you've seen them all. This has great pacing, it never slows down or is in a hurry. The suspense is quite excellent, and you may find yourself on the edge of your seat numerous times. This is 100 minutes of pure fun, and it never fails to deliver. The humor almost invariably works. Acting ranges. This has incredibly memorable moments, and dialog you can quote. The DVD only holds a theatrical trailer. I recommend this to any fan of this type of film, and/or anyone involved in making it. 7/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 1986 (USA)

Also Known As:

FX

Filming Locations:

6 Varick Street, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,240,695, 9 February 1986

Gross USA:

$20,603,715

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,603,715

Company Credits

Production Co:

Orion Pictures, Dodi Fayed - Jack Wiener

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1