May 9, 2016

I have to tell you, Kino Lorber is quickly becoming one of my favorite specialty labels. They’ve been putting out so many of my favorite horror films from the tail end of the VHS boom. Just last week, I talked about their release of HIGHWAY TO HELL. This week, for my double take, I took in a double feature of their Blu-Ray releases for F/X, followed by F/X2! Full disclosure, these aren’t really “horror” movies per se, but more accurately action crime thrillers. But what if Rick Baker or Rob Bottin were the lead of those movies? And with a totally charming Australian accent? OK, and Brian Dennehy is your supporting partner? Then you have this double dose of awesome.

First up, director Robert Mandel’s 1986 cult classic F/X! Scripted by Robert T. Megginson & Gregory Fleeman, F/X is the story of famed FX legend Rollie Tyler. He’s literally the best in the biz and no one in Hollywood can match his art of illusions. That’s why a police detective named Lipton (Cliff De Young) approaches him on the set of his latest feature. Lipton and his division are currently prepping notorious mob boss Nicholas Defranco (Jerry Orbach) for the witness protection program. They fear that a mob hit will inevitably take him out before he can turn states evidence, so they want to plan a very public execution using Rollie’s FX techniques to convince the world he’d been murdered, when it actuality, it’s a clever way to hide him from the general public and his enemies.

Rollie is extremely reluctant to get involved. After all, his business is make-believe, but his ego gets the best of him and he accepts the challenge because he knows he’s the only one that can really pull it off. Things become suspicion when the police insist that the only way to properly pull off the gag is if Rollie himself acts as the hitman. He agrees, loading his gun with blanks and setting up Defranco with squibs to sell his untimely and violent demise. But then all hell breaks loose. Lipton was futzing around with the gun mere moments before the assassination happened. Did Rollie accidently use real life ammo on Defranco? Now the police are trying to take Rollie out since they’re involved in the scam too!

He doesn’t know who to trust, so he employs his extensive knowledge of FX and creating illusions to outsmart the assassins and corrupt police that are after him. The only person that seems to see through the cover up is investigator Lt. Leo McCarthy, played by the great Brian Dennehy. Leo has been tracking Defranco for years and doesn’t fully believe what’s going on around him. This eventually leads him on a collision course with Rollie, who’s just trying to clear his name and stay alive long enough to do it!

I think what works best about the movie is that it’s a very tight, well-crafted and executed script. I love that Leo is on top of all the details simply based on his interactions with the few people he interviews. And here’s the thing, when I first saw this movie as a kid, I already thought the Tom Savini’s and Steve Johnson’s of the world were complete rock stars. But here’s one of those guys depicted in a movie that uses his artistic abilities as a hero! It’s truly an exceptional thriller of the highest degree. And keep an eye out for an early pre-MANHUNTER performance from Tom Noonan as a common thug.

5 years later in 1991, director Richard Franklin of PSYCHO II fame brought back Rollie and Leo for F/X2, a sequel that I actually like more than the original! After the events of the first movie, Rollie has left the entertainment business and strictly uses his talents to make super advanced toys for children. His crowning achievement we meet on the evening of his anniversary with girlfriend Kim (Rachel Ticotin), a life size robot named Bluey that can be controlled via a separate suit. Rollie has a great relationship with Kim and her son Chris. Obviously, his relationship with Kim’s ex Mike is a bit off. But Mike comes to Rollie with a legitimate problem.

Mike’s a detective and closing in on a case involving a serial slasher who is targeting a young model. The slasher has threatened to kill the girl, and Mike wants Rollie to come up with an illusion where he’d dressed up as the would-be victim to take down this slime. Naturally, Rollie is once again reluctant, but decides to help Mike. As expected, something goes horribly wrong, and Mike is murdered during the gag. The conspiracy once again goes beyond the police department, and so Rollie calls his old friend Leo to help him figure out exactly why Mike was killed and what the mystery is behind an old inactive case called “Becker” that might me the reason why!

Director Richard Franklin was a school of the Hitchcock style of filmmaking, which is why he was selected to helm the PSYCHO sequel back in 1982. But in that time period, he also did impressive thrillers such as PATRICK, ROAD GAMES and CLOAK & DAGGER. Here, he’s firing on all cylinders and delivering a thoroughly entertaining movie from start to finish. You don’t really need to see the first one to follow along with this one, but it only enhances these characters you met & loved. It’s funny, I had forgotten that in the first F/X, Rollie and Leo share only one scene together at the conclusion of the film. Here, they get a lot more screen time together and it’s great to see their natural chemistry and rapport. Little subtle things like Leo saying, “first, we have another drink.” Or when explaining Rollie to one of the other characters describing him as “messy, but fun at parties.”

All of Rollie’s talents as an FX artist are put into use here. There’s one great chase sequence in a supermarket where Rollie sets up various traps and explosions using basic household goods & foods to distract his assailant. And again, the robot clown Bluey is so integral to the reason this sequel has become such a cult classic. To this day, I still want a Bluey of my own!

Believe it or not, I just discovered this week while prepping this piece that an F/X series was made with a completely new actor. Not sure how you can top Bryan Brown’s pitch perfect performance as Rollie Tyler, but I’m curious to hunt it down and check it out. Also, my friend Dan Budnik from Bleeding Skull has informed me there is a similar themed “knock-off” movie called SFX RETALIATOR, which I’m not on the hunt for. But accept no imitations! F/X and F/X 2 are top notch entertainment!