F/X (1986)

Synopsis: It’s like a two-hour version of MacGyver…except there’s female nudity, and the hero finds ingenious ways to kill people.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: “The world of movie make-believe meets the gritty New York crime scene in this ‘taut and clever suspense movie’ (The New York Times). Bryan Brown (Cocktail) and Brian Dennehy (Romeo + Juliet) command the heart-pounding action in ‘the first-class, crackling excitement of F/X’ (Los Angeles Times).”

What Did I Learn?: If somebody asks you to pull the trigger in a fake assassination plot, um…tell them you’re a little busy that day.

You Might Like This Movie If: You know that acting and special effects are simply two sides of the same coin when it comes to movie-making.

Really?: So wait…the bullet array in a movie prop convinces Leo (Brian Dennehy) that his case and the DeFranco mob case are linked…and DeFranco later answers the phone when Leo phones a Justice Department official? That’s convenient…

Rating: F/X is an exciting mid-1980s suspense thriller. A movie special effects guy is hired by bad cops to stage a fake murder, and he must then use his tricks-of-the-trade to survive after things go very wrong. The film is lots of fun (as long as you don’t take the plot, or Leo’s police investigation too seriously), although I found it a bit disturbing that Rollie Tyler (Brown) basically becomes an amoral, stone-faced killer by the end. 7.5/10 stars.   

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089118/