Where do I start? Well, first off, thanks for paying attention and thanks for grabbing the previous two books. Let’s get on with Book Three before I forget that Comic-Con is in a few months. I was trying to figure out which movie I should pick for the beginning of this, and I figured I’d go to the one that started a fascination and love with movies, but from a different perspective. When I was in high school, I actually wanted to work in special effects. So one of my summers, I got an opportunity to go to the University of Philadelphia Art School for a summer program. One of the classes was sculpture and the other was practical effects, and it was just about one of the greatest experiences I could remember as a young kid. I have to find the picture which I’ll add here of my classmates. The practical effects class was instructed by one of the lead production people from Jurassic Park which was a big deal. But the coolest thing about the event besides being away from my parents (when I was a sophomore summer going to be a junior for two weeks) was I got to take a class where I was instructed how to make a shotgun blast with a film canister, an air can, some hot glue, and some tubes.I believe the blood and guts were ripped up sponges, a broken marker, and some gloopy Karo syrup and some oil. It was crazy.But let’s just say as I was walking out of there, that was what I wanted to do when I grew up. And how about having a movie like this be one of the movies you recall seeing, and thinking, “I can do this for the rest of my life?” Things changed in high school. I decided not to explore art as the industry was moving closer to computer animation, and that wasn’t my thing. Although I do love computers now, my vision of becoming a practical effects or a special effects expert disappeared. But I will always have this movie, which is why it is the first one in my third book.
Okay, so this one falls squarely into that beautiful mid-80s sweet spot where Hollywood was like: “What if we made a smart thriller, but also explosions, but also practical effects, and also let character actors absolutely cook?” …because FX is exactly that. I first saw this on cable — probably HBO — some time when I was way too young to understand how movies were actually made, but old enough to know that this movie ruled. And honestly? It still does. Having just watched this again recently, I realized how absolutely much I love this film and its sequel. But enough about that; more to the story.
The premise alone is just chef’s kiss. Rollie Tyler (played by the criminally underrated Bryan Brown) is a top-tier movie special effects wizard. Explosions, squibs, fake blood, elaborate illusions — this guy makes movie magic for a living. And then, because the 80s loved this kind of thing, the government shows up and says: “Hey… want to fake a real assassination?”
You already know this goes badly.
Rollie agrees to help the Justice Department stage the death of a mob witness using his FX skills, only to discover — shocker — he’s been set up. The fake murder was very real, the bad guys are still breathing, and suddenly Rollie is on the run, framed for murder, and using movie tricks to survive in the real world.
That hook alone could carry a lesser film. FX actually executes it perfectly. And like usual, I’ll leave you there with the plot. But now? Let’s talk about the other things that I love about this movie.
Let’s talk cast, because this movie is stacked in that “you recognize everyone but can’t name them” way that I absolutely love.
Bryan Brown is fantastic here. This is peak “thinking man’s action hero.” He kind of isn’t your leading man. He’s not super-jacked like Arnold. He’s not super-quippy like Kurt Russell, Snake Plissken. He’s just cool, and I guess as a kid who wanted to be a special effects guy, he was just cool, and that was what I liked about it. You may know him from Cocktail, Gorillas in the Mist, or Breaker Morant (which is incredible), but this might be his most purely fun role. I realize this is 1986, and he doesn’t do Cocktail until 1988, but it feels like he’s probably in a bunch more movies that my brain is not registering right now. Anyway.
Then you’ve got the late Brian Dennehy. I’d like to say Brian Dennehy is a super-underrated actor, but once you realize what he’s in, that’s kind of a dumb statement to say because he’s just great in movies like this. He’s in a ton of movies, but I think his biggest claim to fame is appearing in First Blood, essentially the first Rambo, as the sheriff. I think that’s what’s considered his breakout role. But man, he’s in Cocoon, Silverado, obviously this movie. He’s in that awesome 1992 Gladiator boxing film, he’s big Tom Callahan in Tommy Boy, he’s in Summer Catch which is an underrated movie, he’s in the remake of Assault on Precinct 13; he’s just in a ton of stuff, man. He’s just awesome. Sadly no longer in films as he passed away in 2020.
Supporting cast? This movie’s got a handful of guys and gals that you will immediately recognize their faces, but maybe have no idea what they’re from. Let’s name a few.
Cliff De Young is the slimy government handler who absolutely cannot be trusted. Perfect casting. I know him from Dr. Giggles, and The Hunger, and Protocol, and Flight of the Navigator, so many movies. But like I said, he’s just a face you’ll recognize instantly if you know who he is.
Another face you probably will recognize is Mason Adams, who plays, I think, the guy in charge of the FBI. I forget the exact title. But you will recognize his face from tons of stuff. I know him as the president in Omen 3: The Final Conflict, but he’s in Toy Soldiers, too. The Pauly Schur son-in-law. He’s in House Guest. What else is he in? Tons of TV. That’s kind of all I can think of off the top of my head. Let me do two more. Who else can I pick? How about just one of the random FBI agents is played by Tom Noonan, who if you know anything about films, he’s in The 1986 Manhunter film, which is essentially the first Silence of the Lambs movie, I guess you’d call it, because it’s the adaptation of The Red Dragon by Thomas Harris by Michael Mann. I actually think is one of the better ones. In this, he plays Francis Dollarhide, who is later played by Ray Fiennes, I think? But what else is he in? He’s the Frankenstein’s Monster in The Monster Squad. He’s Kane in Robocop 2. He’s the Ripper in Last Action Hero …I think he’s in Heat. This guy’s in a lot of movies that I could probably write articles about. OK, one more actor, and then I’m done.
Last but not least is Jerry Orbach, because Jerry Orbach makes everything better. I never realized he won a Tony, but he definitely never won an Emmy, although he probably should have. If I didn’t mention him being in Dirty Dancing, my wife would probably kill me, so that’s where we’ll start. But he’s also the voice of Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast. He’s in a really solid Steven Seagal film, Out for Justice, which I really like. And of course, probably a hundred years on Law & Order on TV. Like I said, just a really solid cast and a lot of background players that are easily recognizable.
Behind the camera, this thing is directed by Robert Mandel, who may not be a household name, but clearly understood how to pace a thriller. He’s pretty much a television director, but some of his films are School Ties which wasn’t super-popular, I think he did The Substitute which was pretty awesome, and Big Shots which is a super-corny film but look it up. I didn’t realize he was from Oakland, California, so that’s pretty cool. But I did know he filmed the pilot for the TV show The X-Files, which is pretty sharp.
Obviously the biggest thing behind the scenes about this movie is the practical effects. And of course they ended up hiring John Stears, who I think worked on most of the original James Bond films and on Star Wars: A New Hope, which I think he might have won an Academy Award for. But he’s the real reason why this movie looks as good as it does. Ok, I had to look him up. He actually won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for Thunderball in 1965, which is pretty sick as well.
At this time, I normally jump immediately into my favorite part of movies, which are the quotes. The thing I wanted to also add is the visual effects are pretty awesome in this film, and it’s a lot of trickery but they never really explain it. I think it’s kind of cool that you get to understand what’s going on but they don’t really blatantly explain it. It leaves a little bit of the mystery. It’s just all in all a good thriller, and the addition of the practical effects element to it is very unique.
Quotes? Oh yeah.
“What’s the matter? Forget why you hired me?” – Rollie
“I’m sorry Rollie, no loose ends.” – Lipton
“You were great. Nobody dies like you.” – Rollie
“Bok choi has great texture. Like Alien flesh.” – Rollie
“Velez? You’re a damn good cop. Thanks. Take all of Jamaica. And the Bronx, and Staten Island, too.” – Leo
What I love most about FX is that it’s a thinking person’s action movie. No superheroes. No invincible leads. Just a guy using creativity to outsmart people with guns and badges. It also spawned a sequel — FX2 — which is fun, but this original is the purest version of the idea. I read somewhere that a lot of the various things in the film are things that government agencies asked John Stears to help them do with practical effects. Kinda makes more sense when you watch it. Last bit of trivia: I think I read somewhere that Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford were offered the roles that Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy ended up playing. Kind of a different, unique telling of this movie with those actors in 1986. This would then be Mel Gibson after making Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and before Lethal Weapon. And then Harrison Ford, after making Witness, probably skipping The Mosquito Coast, and then in ’88 doing Frantic. So, it fits what movies he was selecting. Last bit of trivia: I read somewhere that Angela Bassett is in this and that’s her first film. Probably time for a re-watch so I can pick her out.
Looks like it’s on Apple TV for $4, so like always, give it a shot. If you hate it, I owe you $4. But it’s an awesome movie, and I don’t think I’ll be owing anyone anything.
