FX : Effet de choc

A movie special effects man is running for his life in "F/X," a 1986 film starring Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Jerry Orbach, and Mason Adams. Strangely enough, the movie also features two actresses from my alma mater, Diana Venora and Josie de Guzman.

Rollie Tyler (Brown) takes on a rush job for the government - they want it to look as if their primo informant (Orbach) has been murdered to take the danger out of getting him to the courtroom and protecting him afterward. But like Rollie's work, things aren't what they seem, and Rollie finds himself on the run.

Despite its name, F/X isn't a big movie, and the special effects are things you can see on any television show. What makes it unique is the way Rollie uses his wits and skill to elude those after him. One of the most exciting scenes occurs as Rollie, in his F/X van, careens through the streets of New York, using every trick he knows to get away from the police. Not your average car chase.

Australian actor Bryan Brown, who achieved fame and a beautiful wife from the miniseries "The Thorn Birds" is terrific as the desperate Rollie. Brian Dennehy plays a rogue cop - he's funny and effective, and the late Jerry Orbach, whose career spanned stage, films, and television, is the perfect mob informant.

F/X inspired a television show of the same name starring Cameron Daddo and also a sequel. For a little movie, it did quite well, managing to entertain with drama, humor, and thrills. It's a lot of fun.

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

This '80s crime drama is centred on Rollie Tyler; a movie special effects man who has been approached by a member of the US Justice Department to make it appear that a mafia boss, who is due to give evidence has been publicly murdered. He is initially less than keen but ultimately agrees. The job appears to go according to plan but as he is driven away afterwards it is clear that he is seen as a loose end needing to be cleared up. He manages to get away but they still want him dead. After a further attempt on his life leaves somebody close to him dead as well as the would-be assassin; this leads to detective Lt. Leo McCarthy investigating these deaths. While he investigates from the police side Rollie is using his special effects skills to evade capture and close in on those who want him dead.

This film does show its age at times but it is still a lot of fun. The story is effective and provides a good excuse for some solid action and inventive use of effects. As well as being a drama there are quite a few good comedy moments... although during a car chase scene the comedy does feel a little too forced. Bryan Brown is solid as protagonist Rollie Tyler and Brian Dennehy impressed as Lt. McCarthy; it was surprising that these two leads didn't meet for most of the film. The rest of the cast, with one or two exceptions was also pretty good. Overall this is a pretty good film that fans of 80's films and real, non-CGI, effects should enjoy.

"F/X" beats most Hollywood action films. It stands out with a slick basic idea developed to a proper script that offers twists and surprises all the way to the end, but luckily not as much as "Mission: Impossible" did.

Bryan Brown is just the right man for the part of Rollie. He and Brian Dennehy make a great pair, although they don't appear together until the end of the film.

Refreshingly original and highly recommendable.

I had this movie on my Instant Queue for a long time and never watched it for some reason. Anyway I just got done watching it and loved it! It was way better than I expected. I saw it had a 6.5 before I watched it so I thought it would be good, but it was really good to my surprise. The idea was original and exciting. If you haven't seen it the story is a Special Effects guy is asked by the government to help fake a former Mob members death so the Mob stops going after him. It turns out that wasn't the whole story and Roland(The main character) is in for a wild ride. It keeps you thinking and it actually has a good bit of action.

If you have not seen it go watch it, I promise you will like it.