F/X (1986) * * *

Directed by:  Robert Mandel

Starring:  Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Mason Adams, Cliff De Young, Jerry Orbach, Diane Venora

F/X was a film that underperformed at the box office, but found new life on home video and people such as myself discovered and appreciated it.    We are immediately drawn in as Rollie Tyler (Brown), a movie special effects wizard, is hired by the government to fake the death of its star witness in a mob trial, mobster Nick DeFranco (Orbach).    Through makeup, prosthetics, and some phony bullets, Rollie pulls off the job, but is quickly targeted for death by the treacherous agents who don't want to leave any loose ends.    Oh, and there be an even more sinister plot involving DeFranco's Swiss bank account hiding millions in stolen mob money.

So, we have some intriguing movie conventions already in place, including the innocent man being hunted by the government.    Rollie needs to use his wits, expertise, and ingenuity to turn the tables, which he does in satisfying fashion.     Brown, an Australian actor also featured in Along Came Polly and Cocktail, is just right as our hero.     We can sympathize with this generally nice guy who is able to summon the tools of his trade to defeat the villains.     He isn't James Bond, but he can handle himself in a fight.   

Also on the trail is NYPD detective Leo McCarthy (Dennehy), who has been after DeFranco for years and slowly begins to piece together that all is not as it seems with Rollie or the agents led by the shadowy Col. Mason (Adams), who hides his villainy under a façade of pleasantness and cooperation.      Assisting Mason is Lipton (De Young), who has the knack for appearing trustworthy and flattering long enough to lure in Rollie.     Yes, there are chases, fights, and things blowing up, but they all lead to a showdown in Mason's mansion which completely thwarts his plans.    I'm sure he is sorry he ever crossed paths with Rollie Tyler.    "You forget why you hired me," Rollie tells Mason.   

Rollie has seemingly endless props and tricks at his disposal.    Since he runs a movie special effects company, this is not unbelievable.     Dennehy takes a character we have seen countless times (the disheveled, drunk cop who gets one last shot at redemption) and makes it fresh.    Adams and De Young are indeed effective bad guys.      And then you have the visual props that befuddle and in some cases kill the baddies.     If you wonder where Kevin McAllister got his ideas for beating the burglars in Home Alone, I would think this film might have been an inspiration.