F/X (1986)

Followed by: F/X: The Deadly Art of Illusion (1991)

	Directed by: Robert Mandel	COUNTRY USA GENRE Action/Thriller NORWEGIAN TITLE Mannen som døde to ganger RUNNING TIME 108 minutes
	Produced by: Dodi Fayed Jack Wiener
	Written by: Gregory Fleeman Robert T. Megginson

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Roland "Rollie" Tyler	Bryan Brown
Detective Leo McCarthy	Brian Dennehy
Ellen	Diane Venora
Martin Lipton	Cliff De Young	½
Colonel Edward Mason	Mason Adams	½
Nicholas DeFranco	Jerry Orbach
Mickey	Joe Grifasi	-
Lieutenant Murdoch	Trey Wilson	-
Varrick	Tom Noonan	-
Marisa Velez	Josie de Guzman	-

Review

A distinct lack of star power and an intricate, character-based plot help explain this film's somewhat obscure status among 1980s action movies, but F/X has more heart and soul and smartness than most of its counterparts. The script was written by newcomers Gregory Fleeman and Robert T. Megginson, and it's their ingenuity combined with director Robert Mandel's refusal to resort to simple genre conventions that lay the basis for the film's delightfully paced, zigzagging narrative. Australian everyman Bryan Brown and the inherently unglamorous Bryan Dennehy play the two lead roles with a working class determination. They give the film an aura of unpretentiousness and relatability, even when it moves a little too much into MacGyver / Home Alone territory during the finale.