The film opens with Rollie demonstrating his impressive special effects skills to a group of film executives. It's obvious that Rollie has an incredible imagination and an innate ability to create illusions that are both realistic and convincing. However, Rollie is reluctant to take on any more work in the film industry as he's looking to pursue a quieter life. F/X2 (F/X 2: The Deadly Art of Illusion) - Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster, Inc . Retrieved February 7, 2021. This movie takes a lot of delight in being more psychologically complex than it has to be. It contains fights and shootouts and big chase scenes, but they're all firmly centered on who the characters are and what they mean to one another. [8] In the helicopter, Silak notices the helicopter flying haphazardly and realizes the pilot is Bluey, who promptly lets go of the controls and leaps from the helicopter carrying the coins and the money. Rollie and Leo recover Bluey, the money, and the coins from the water, and as they discuss what to do with the money, Leo explains the Mafia's intentions with the coins to Rollie. The pair ultimately decide to return the coins themselves at a church in Rome. Shprintz, Janet (February 8, 1999). "MGM, Orion sue Sony, Col over homevid coin". Variety . Retrieved January 9, 2022.

Vincent Canby praised the look of the film in his review for The New York Times, writing, "the movie, which looks as if it had been made on an A-picture budget, has a lot of the zest one associates with special-effects-filled B-pictures". [7] Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars out of four: A preview screening in the San Fernando Valley produced some of the best statistics Orion Pictures had seen in some time. A week before its release, a film industry screening was very successful, as was its premiere at the United States Film Festival (later known as the Sundance Film Festival). [5] Release editOverall, F/X is a thrilling and pulse-pounding film that delivers plenty of action and suspense, while also exploring deeper themes of loyalty, trust, and the murky world of law enforcement. It's a film that has stood the test of time and still holds up today as a classic example of a smart and engaging thriller. In his review for The Globe and Mail, Jay Scott wrote, " F/X is simply out to give a good time, which it does superbly". [9] Paul Attanasio in his review for The Washington Post praised Brian Dennehy's performance: The rest of the film follows Rollie as he tries to unravel the conspiracy and prove his innocence while staying one step ahead of both the police and the Mafia. Along the way, he teams up with an attractive art director named Ellen, played by Diane Venora, who is initially suspicious of Rollie but ultimately becomes his ally.

Principal photography took place during the summer of 1985 around New York City and in Rye, New York, as well as Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto locations included Sherway Gardens Mall in Etobicoke. The next day, Rollie, Kim, and Kim's son Chris go to Mike's house to collect personal items. They find the house being searched by police, including Silak, who gives Rollie his hidden camera, suggests the killer was a cop, and asks if Mike mentioned any old cases he was working on. Suspicious of Silak's questions and suspecting Mike was set up, Rollie drives Kim and Chris to her sister's house for their safety and goes home to look through the camera footage. He sees Silak planting evidence to frame the model murderer for Mike's death, but is suddenly confronted by the killer, who demands the recording. Rollie uses Bluey, a robot clown controlled by a telemetry suit, to fight the killer before Leo can arrive to rescue Rollie, but the killer escapes. Benson, Sheila (February 6, 1986). "Savvy Story, Actors For Special F/x". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 23, 2010.Filming took place in Toronto. Vic Armstrong was called in to direct the last few weeks. He said Franklin "had some kind of personal problems going on, but I think there was a lot of stuff happening behind the scenes that I didn't know about." [4] Reception edit Dennehy brings magic to the role—he's large, and he enlarges it. With his sly eyes and little can opener of a nose, his shoulders a yard wide, his hair massing in gray curls behind his ears, he dances through the movie like a mastodon in toe shoes. [10] In his review for The Sunday Times, George Perry praised the film's premise as a "nice idea, but the effects themselves are merely ingenious when they might have been spectacular". [11] Sheila Benson wrote in her review for the Los Angeles Times:

FX Murder by Illusion (15)". British Board of Film Classification. May 14, 1986 . Retrieved December 11, 2016. Armstrong, Vic (2011). The true adventures of the world's greatest stuntman : my life as Indiana Jones, James Bond, Superman and other movie heroes. Titan. p. 243. ISBN 9781848568747. Scott, Jay (February 7, 1986). " F/X is filmmaking in the fast and furious mode". The Globe and Mail.

#= data.dataItem.date #

One of the things that makes F/X so compelling is the way that it seamlessly blends elements of both action and thriller genres. The film contains plenty of thrilling chase scenes and shootouts, but it also features plenty of moments of suspense and tension as Rollie tries to outsmart his pursuers. a b c d e Harmetz, Aljean (March 31, 1986). " F/X, A Suspense Film with a Mysterious Title". The New York Times.