F/X

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

F/X
1986 film poster for F/X
Directed by	Robert Mandel
Produced by	Dodi Fayed Jack Wiener
Written by	Gregory Fleeman Robert T. Megginson
Starring	Bryan Brown Brian Dennehy Diane Venora Cliff De Young Mason Adams
Music by	Bill Conti
Cinematography	Miroslav Ondrícek
Editing by	Terry Rawlings
Distributed by	Orion Pictures
Release date(s)	February 7, 1986
Running time	109 min
Country	USA
Language	English
Followed by	F/X2
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

F/X is a 1986 action film starring Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy.

Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) is an expert in the art of Special Effects (F/X) and has a reputation built on many low-budget hack and slash films (Including such titles as "I Dismember Momma") and is quite surprised to find that the Department of Justice has a job for him. He is to stage the murder of a gangster about to enter the Witness Protection Program. He agrees, but then things get complicated. Meanwhile, a New York City police detective, Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy), is investigating the faked murder and cannot understand why the Department of Justice is even less helpful than usual.

A sequel called F/X2 was made in 1991. A spin-off TV-series entitled F/X: The Series was produced 1996–98.

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Tyler is hired by the Department of Justice to stage the fake murder of a mob informant, Nicholas DiFranco (Jerry Orbach). DiFranco is set to testify against his former mafia bosses and the Department of Justice is afraid he'll be killed before the trial can begin. Tyler rigs a gun with blanks and fixes DiFranco up with radio transmitters and fake blood packs to simulate bullet hits. The Department of Justice supervisor, Colonel Mason (Mason Adams), specifically asks Tyler to be the "assassin" and wear a disguise.

DiFranco wears Tyler's rig to a public restaurant. The assassination appears to go flawlessly, however, when Tyler is picked up by the Department of Justice agent in charge, Lipton (Cliff DeYoung), the agent tries to shoot him. A struggle for his gun ensues and the car crashes, allowing Tyler to escape. Tyler is nearly killed in a phone booth a short time later and retreats to his girlfriend Ellen's (Diane Venora) apartment. In the morning, Ellen is shot by a sniper aiming for Tyler. Tyler kills the sniper when he enters the apartment to finish the job.

A Manhattan homicide detective, Leo McCarthy (Dennehy) becomes interested in the case because he's been pursuing DiFranco for several years. He discovers that the assassination was an illusion and that Tyler planned it.

Using an elaborate phone prank, Tyler brings Lipton out in the open and kidnaps him in his squad car. He stuffs Lipton into the trunk and tortures him for Mason's address, believing that DiFranco is hiding there, waiting to be transported out of the country. Tyler steals back his impounded van and escapes following a furious chase through Lower Manhattan. Tyler goes to Mason's mansion. Using his special effects expertise, he kills several of Mason's guards.

Suspecting that Tyler will kill him next, DiFranco shoots out several windows in Mason's study. Tyler falls through one of the windows, appearing to be dead. DiFranco tries to leave the house when the helicopter arrives but receives an electric shock from the house's security system (which Tyler may have specially rigged). The shock disrupts DiFranco's pacemaker and he dies of heart failure. Before he dies, he gives Mason a key to a Swiss safe deposit box containing all the funds he stole from the Mafia.

Mason prepares to leave and is confronted by Tyler, who points an Uzi at him. Mason tries to bribe Tyler with the key he took from DiFranco. Tyler considers the offer and places his gun on a table, hovering over it for a moment. He tells Mason that the plan won't work with the police outside. Mason grabs the gun Tyler had set down. Tyler shows Mason that he has the bullets for the gun and a tube of Krazy Glue, which he used to glue the gun to Mason's hands. He shoves Mason out the front door where he's shot by the police waiting outside. Among them is Leo McCarthy.

Tyler is taken to the morgue, still alive, and jumps out a window. He's immediately found by McCarthy. The film ends with Tyler impersonating DiFranco and retrieving the Mafia funds from the bank in Geneva.