F/X & F/X 2: The Grande Illusion — F/X & F/X 2: The Grande Illusion( Blu Ray box)
As a teen in the 1980’s I was completely and utterly fascinated by special effects, and if you’d asked me what I wanted to do as a career then, it was an FX artist. More often than not, when renting a VHS during the decade, it was either a horror film or a cheesy sex comedy- but there were one or two exceptions- and 1986's F/X was one of these, as it was an action thriller- focused on an effect artist, so it was right up my teen self’s street, and since released I’ve seen in numerous times. It still stands up with its neat mix of effect illusions, suspense, and action. So, when I saw that the fine folks at Arrow Video were releasing FX, and its 1991 sequel, it was a no-brainer release for me. The two-disc Blu-ray set takes in an HD scan of each film, new commentaries, a blend of new & archive extras, a sixty-page inlay booklet, a double-sided poster, and stickers.
F/X (aka F/X - Murder by Illusion) is from the year 1986. It’s a US production, which was directed Oakland born Robert Mandel. Between the early 80s and mid-2010s, he had ten features and twenty-three TV credits. His features include the teen drama Night At O’Rears (1980), polar opposite teen comedy-adventure Big Shots (1987), action thriller The Substitute (1996), and the horror sequel The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999).
F/X has a runtime of one hour and forty-eight minutes, which may sound a tad too long for an action/ thriller, but it unfolds perfectly with zero plot fat or lull. The film's lead is FX creator/artist Rollie Tyler (Brayn Brown), who is one of the best in the business, doing work for horror and action films. He’s contacted by Lipton (Cliff De Young), who works for the witness protection bureau and is offering a large amount to fake the shooting of mob boss Nicholas DeFranco (Jerry Orbach)- but things don’t go quite as planned.
As the film unfolds, we get lots of double-crossing, more than a few people knocked off, and lots of generally dodgy goings-on. Brought in to investigate it all is always speaking his mind/roughing folk up if needs be, cop Leo McCarthy- played by a moustached Brian Dennehy (First Blood, Cocoon, To Catch A Killer).
On the 'effects' used in the plot, there’s a door guarding monster, latex face additions/ masks, car slipping oil, an old lady mannequin, fake out mirrors, explosions, etc.
Cast-wise wise Brown is perfect for the thinking on his feet FX man, Dennehy, as always, is great. Supporting actor, wise, worth a mention, is Young as the not quite what he seems agent, and his boss in the department, Col Manson (Manson Adams).
The whole thing keeps up its pace and tension throughout, and along the way we get some neat/ quite surprising twists in the film, with till its end you're left to guessing. All in all, F/X is one of the more original, rewarding, and all-out great action thrillers of the 80s.
On the extras side of this first disc, we get a nice selection of things, mostly new. So, on the new side, we have two commentary tracks- the first is with film critic Mike White of the Projection Booth Podcast, and the second is with Dan Martin of 13 Finger FX and filmmaker Jennifer Handorf. I played the first of these, and Mr White does a great job, with loads of well-researched and worthy observations. He starts off talking about the credits, commenting on how its logo looks like it could be from a Robocop rip-off, and the neat silhouette NYC skyline shots. He gives us a bio of director Robert Mandel- we find out he started as a Humanities major, going on to work in the theatre, before moving into film. We find out the film's original script was a lot bloodier with severed heads, etc. He comments on the real film posters in Rollie’s apartment/ studio. We find out Australian lead actor Brown got the role because of his work in popular in the states Oz series The Thorn Birds. We find out the other possibilities for playing the Rollie character were Jeff Bridges & Dennis Quaid. Later on, he talks about how nice it is that two investigations are going on at the same time in the film. He points out set design details/ items. He talks about how the effects are good in the film, but it’s the level of the acting that makes it a film that is still remembered. He discusses the use of misdirection in the picture, and it gets more impressive as you go on. All in all, an excellent track.
Otherwise, on the new extras we have: The FX of F/X (15.11) interview with make-up effects supervisor Carl Fullerton. F/X Illusions (12.22) visual essay by film critic Heather Wixson, author of Monsters, Make-up & Effects.
On the archive side, we have: Murder by Illusion (12.22) interview with director Robert Mandel. The Making of F/X (14.11), Theatrical trailer, and Image gallery.
Over on the second disc, we have F/X2, which appeared in 1991, five years after the first film. Again, the film has a runtime of one hour and forty-eight minutes, and I’m afraid to say there are a few lulls in the pace here, but also there are still some fairly neat to suspenseful moments. Making it a passable sequel, though you can certainly see why there wasn’t a third film.
The film was directed by Melborn, Australian born Richard Franklin. He had twelve features to his name- these went from moody, psychic killer horror thriller Patrick (1978). One of the best sequels ever made, Psycho II (1983), heartfelt/ but very talky drama Hotel Sorrento (1995), and sea set thriller/ horror Visitors (2005).
In the film, we find that Rollie Tyler (Brayn Brown) has quit the effects game, and is now inventing/ building toys. He’s living in a large two-level apartment with his new girlfriend Liz Kennedy (Joanna Gleason) and her around ten-year-old son Chris( Dominic Zamprogna). She has an ex-husband Mike( Tom Mason), who often pops around, and he’s a cop.
Mike approaches Rollie to help him and his team catch a killer- initially, he says no, I don’t want to do that anymore, but then they say you’ll go with his effect artist competition/ say they’ll pay him well- he agrees.
The effect set up involves Mike being dressed up in a woman's body suit- as they are trying to reel the killer in, who is watching across from another building. The killer takes the bait, but there is someone in the other room- who slashes Mike's throat, and once again, Rollie is in trouble.
Fairly soon, cop/ now PI Leo McCarthy(Brian Dennehy) is called in by Rollie- as the pair try to figure out who's behind Mike’s killing. As the film unfolds, we have a body suit-controlled clown called Bluey. there’s a stealth supermarket chase with popping popcorn barrels, exploding bean tins, and shrink-wrapped villains. A hot dog firing machine to attract away guard dogs, and a few other things
Both are leads are fine, though maybe Dennehy did feel like he was calling it in at points, with his character looking very close to what he looked like in many of his late 80s/90s films.
So, as I said earlier, this is a fine sequel- but it doesn’t really manage to stand as well as the first film- but as a follow-up, it's passable.
Extras-wise wise on this disc we have a few things again- most of these are new. First on the new side is a commentary track with Dan Martin of 13 Finger FX and filmmaker Jen Handorf. This was a rather chatty/ at times sporadic affair- Mr Martin comes up with some decent facts/ observations, but Ms Handorf sounds like she watching the film for the first time to record the track, which is a tad annoying. They open by commenting briefly on the Lalo Schifrin score, mentioning other notable scores he made. They talk about the very cool/ neat robot in the opening film within a film scene. They discuss how the Bluey clown doll is terrifying, and not the kids' toy it’s meant to be. We find out this was Richard Franklin's last Amercian film, before he moved back to Oz. They touch on the films' actor Brayn Brown made in between the two films. They discuss the moments of downtime/quiet in the film, which does it no favours. Later on, they talk about the moments of project placement in the film. Chat about how the mix of comedy and hardboiled noir elements don’t really work. It’s just an ok track, but I must say I was somewhat put out by Ms Handorf's lack of effort here.
Otherwise, on the new side, we have the following. Art & Illusion (16.50) interview with make-up effects supervisor Eric Allard. F/X Magic (12.10) visual essay by film critic Heather Wixson, author of Monsters, Make-up & Effects.
On the archive side, we have The Making of F/X 2 (6.37). Behind the Scenes (3.03). Inside Eric Allard’s Workshop (9.50), theatrical trailer, and image gallery.
In conclusion, it was great to revisit both of these films, as I’d not seen the second film since it was first released. The first F/X film stands the test of time- been an excellent/distinctive 80’s thriller action film. The sequel is just fine, but it was great to see the two leads back together, with some decent set-ups. This new double disc/ boxset release from Arrow Video, gives us classy HD scans of both films, and well a nice selection of worthy extras.