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 Tyler
Brian Dennehy	...	Leo McCarthy
Diane Venora	...	Ellen
Cliff De Young	...	Lipton
Mason Adams	...	Colonel Mason
Jerry Orbach	...	Nicholas DeFranco
Joe Grifasi	...	Mickey
Martha Gehman	...	Andy
Roscoe Orman	...	Captain 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	...	Miss Lehman (Joyce) (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.

---

Plot Keywords:

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

---

Taglines:

Special effetcs are his life...and his death?

---

Genres:

Action | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Mandel later worked with Cliff De Young on the pilot of The X-Files (1993).

---

Goofs

The uniforms worn by the New York State Police at Mason's mansion and the morgue are their dress blouses and are only worn for special ceremonies such as funerals, parades and awards and are never worn on patrol.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Manhunter: Francis Is Gone Forever - An Interview with Tom Noonan (2016)

---

Soundtracks

THE HEART OF ROCK AND ROLL
Performed by Huey Lewis & The News (as Huey Lewis and The News)
Written by Johnny Colla (as J. Colla) and Huey Lewis
Courtesy of Chrysalis Records Inc.

User Reviews

a fun little movie

F/X is a movie I had been hearing about for years, so I finally buckled down and rented it, and I was pretty surprised. It's a good, suspenseful movie with nice effects, a decent story, and some good performances (except for the girl who plays the effects assistant, though she's not on-screen a lot). Bryan Brown plays Roland Tyler, a freelance special effects artist who seeks revenge after some shady Justice Department guys set him up to be the fall guy in a staged execution they had hired him to pull off. Brian Dennehy doesn't enter the film until nearly forty minutes into the picture, but once he does, he's as good as always, even if his character just sort of moves from place to place and effortlessly picks up clues along the way. I would have liked to seen the two stars have more scenes together, but they never even meet up until the final scene of the movie. Cliff DeYoung does his usual weasel villain, though he mysteriously vanishes from the film without explanation, and Jerry Orbach is good in a supporting role as the mobster whose execution is staged. The effects used by Tyler aren't as spectacular as I had thought they would be (disguises to avoid police, smoke bombs, fake blood, etc.), but they're used effectively. F/X is an entertaining little movie with a fair amount of suspense and some good action. Oh, and what I wouldn't give to have that home security system Tyler has inside his front door. The sequel's not bad either.

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