F/X & F/X 2: The Grande Illusion

Director: Robert Mandel, Richard Franklin
Screenplay: Gregory Fleeman, Robert T. Megginson, Bill Condon
Starring: Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diane Venora, Cliff De Young, Mason Adams, Jerry Orbach
Country: US
Running Time: 108m / 108m
Year: 1986 / 1991

I miss films like the F/X movies. Identikit plots, anchored on a huge gimmick, with a faint whiff of naff and a loveable enthusiasm. They’re the welcome B-movies to the likes of Beverly Hills Cop and it’s this very specific nostalgia that Arrow are experts at satisfying. This month sees their brilliant release of both F/X movies.

The plot of the first movie is basically The Fugitive before The Fugitive, but this incarnation of Richard Kimble is a special effects genius. He can keep his pursuers on their toes with disguises and elaborate distractions.

F/X: Murder by Illusion opens with a decent and indulgent movie-within-a-movie with Rollie (Bryan Brown) ably handling the effects. His reputation has caught the attention of the cops (led by Cliff De Young), who need to stage a mob hit to take a star witness (Jerry Orbach) into hiding. It all goes a bit pear-shaped and Rollie is implicated in the murder, with corrupt cops and mob enforcers are on his tail. The ever-dependable grouch Brian Dennehy meanwhile is lazily investigating and putting the pieces together.

Bryan Brown is a limited but affable lead, supported by a parade of 80s character actors. The gimmick is taken deadly serious, but alleviated with Brown’s wonky charm and Dennehy’s irascible wit. The result is a kind-of A-Team meets Sister Act, with crazy stunts. It’s a heck of a lot of fun with an absolute banger of a theme song.

F/X 2:The Deadly Art of Illusion drops the theme song, any sense of logic and some dignity. It’s still fun and good-hearted; it’s still got Brown and Dennehy. No Bill Conti score, but Lalo Schifrin is no slouch.

The real problem is the over-cooked plot, where the first film was so neat and didn’t overplay the gimmick. Here, a simple bait and switch idea employs an absurd level of tech and a farcical routine. There’s a scene in a supermarket that’s indicative of the film; pinned down by a mob button-man, Rollie goes full A-Team and it’s funny, inventive, but oh so utterly ridiculous. It’s immediately followed by a more serious scene, thanks to Dennehy of which I wish there was more. Brian is largely phoning in his return as Leo, but he comes with a natural, baked-in charisma.

The screenplay feels like it started life as a perfectly fine low-rent conspiracy thriller. Arnie could have done a version of it; actually he probably did. Putting Rollie in, despite his charm, despite his toys, makes it a bit too silly.

VIDEO

Neither film is a pillar of cinematography, but the transfers are great. And they were released at interesting times. Separated by just a few years, the first film is identifiably 1980s. The second is definitely the 1990s. They have a certain identity that these clean, faithful transfers accentuate.

EXTRA FEATURES

Sometimes, boxsets can feel like a buy-one-get-one-free affair. Most people will surely be picking this set up for F/X: Murder by Illusion. It’s held up really well, while the sequel was dead in the water when it was released, nevermind now. Arrow have done a phenomenal job making both worth digging into with a raft of extras. Plus, a 60-page book and gorgeous new artwork, plus a poster and stickers (which makes sense, honest) make this a highly-recommended purchase.

The audio commentaries by Dan Martin and Jennifer Handorf on both films are among the best I’ve heard for some time. Dan’s day-job is special effects, so his insight into the production is invaluable, but more important is his and Jennifer’s affection for these movies. Their riotous commentary on the second film is more entertaining than the film itself.

• 60-page perfect bound collector’s book featuring new writing by film critics Guy Adams, William Bibbiani, Josh Nelson, and Priscilla Page
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
• Double-sided fold out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nathanael Marsh
• Stickers for the films of Rollie Tyler
• DISC 1 – F/X: MURDER BY ILLUSION
• New commentary by film critic Mike White of the Projection Booth Podcast
• New commentary by Dan Martin of 13 Finger FX and filmmaker Jennifer Handorf
• The FX of F/X, a new interview with make-up effects supervisor Carl Fullerton
• F/X Illusions, a new visual essay by film critic Heather Wixson, author of Monsters, Make-up & Effects
• Murder by Illusion, an archive interview with director Robert Mandel
• The Making of F/X, an archive featurette
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery
• DISC 2 – F/X 2: THE DEADLY ART OF ILLUSION
• New commentary by Dan Martin of 13 Finger FX and filmmaker Jen Handorf
• Art & Illusion, a new interview with make-up effects supervisor Eric Allard
• F/X Magic, a new visual essay by film critic Heather Wixson, author of Monsters, Make-up & Effects
• The Australian Invasion, a new visual essay by film scholar Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
• The Making of F/X 2, an archive featurette
• Behind the Scenes
• Inside Eric Allard’s Workshop
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery