KL Studio Classics presents the theatrical adventures of special-effects man Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) with the F/X | F/X 2 (Double Feature) Blu-ray. Although the plans of the bad guys are convoluted, it’s fun to see Rollie outsmart them with his movie make-up and gadgets.
Buy F/X | F/X 2 (Double Feature) Blu-rayIn F/X (1986), Rollie is approached by the Department of Justice to fake an assassination attempt on a crime boss of 40 years, Nicholas DeFranco (Jerry Orbach), who is set to testify for the government as an informant. He agrees to run the effects during the “hit” at a restaurant the DOJ will control. Agent Martin Lipton (Cliff De Young) acts a little suspicious beforehand. The plan appears to go without a hitch but then Lipton tries to kill Rollie so there’s no loose ends, but he escapes. He stays at the apartment of his girlfriend Ellen (Diane Venora). She is killed by a sniper, who comes to get Rollie, but Rollie kills him.
Homicide detective Leo McCarthy (Brian Dehenny) is brought in to investigate the the murder of Ellen and the sniper, who is an ex-cop that worked for the DOJ. Rollie’s fingerprints are found at the apartment so Leo wants to find him. McCarthy also had previously arrested DeFranco after months of investigating him. At Rollie’s apartment, Leo finds clues suggesting Rollie’s involvement with the DeFranco murder. But things don’t add up.
Leo’s portion of the story, anchored by Dehenny’s performance, is a good but typical procedural about a detective investigating corruption. The real fun of the movie is Rollie using his effect skills to do his own detective work to understand why the DOJ turned him into a patsy.
The plot is convoluted. The villains are motivated by greed, millions in a Swiss safe that had to be spread around to quite a few people involved, but the inclusion of Rollie seems more elaborate than need be. Also, hard to believe is a trick Rollie uses to escape the authorities. It doesn’t seem plausible for as long as it has to occur, but the audience is rooting for Rollie so the filmmakers thought that was enough.
In F/X 2 (1991), the story is even more confusing. Rollie’s girlfriend Kim’s (Rachel Ticotin) ex-husband, NYPD detective Mike Brandon (Tom Mason), asks Rollie for help. There’s a serial killer going after models, and Mike wants Rollie to disguise him as a woman for a sting. This time, Rollie supervises at a distance, watching through surveillance cameras. Most are focused on the approaching serial killer; however, things go terribly wrong when another person kills Mike. The serial killer is shot and killed by Detective Ray Silak (Philip Bosco).
After learning that Mike’s killer was a cop, Rado (John Walsh), Rollie reaches out to Leo. Rado shows up at Rollie’s, wanting the video recording, which not only shows him killing Mike but shows Silak tampering with the evidence to frame the serial killer for Mike’s murder. A long battle ensues, which involves Rollie using a telemetry suit that controls Bluey, a robot clown.
Although off the force, Leo asks his friend Velez (Josie de Guzman), an NYPD IT specialist for information about Mike’s unsolved cases as Rollie taps Silak’s phone. They determine that the case in question involves solid gold medallions cast by Michelangelo that were stolen from the Vatican. Rado goes after Kim and her son while they are at the mall. Rollie shows up to help them in a wild chase and fight in a grocery store where Rollie uses his skills and tech to defeat Rado.
As in the previous film, greed is the villains’ motivation and the climax is set at a mansion that involves the bad guys planning on escaping via helicopter. The story is a bit unwieldy. The plot is confusing and the pacing not as tight. In this film, the villains didn’t hire Rollie, but their plan also doesn’t make much sense as it could have succeeded without killing Mike.
Each film appears on its own disc. The video has been given 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfers displayed at the original aspect ratios of 1.85:1. F/X has a color palette that features dull hues. Black levels are adequate but not inky. Focus leans soft so texture details don’t always come through. Film grain is apparent as are instances of debris. The aspects for F/X 2 are similar with some brighter color hues. The audio for each is available in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Dialogue is clear throughout. Effects and the score’s are balanced well in the mixes. The tracks are free of hiss and defect.
The Special Features for F/X are:
- Interview with director Robert Mandel (HD, 14 min) – A new interview with Mandel about getting the job, and working with cast and cinematographer.
- The Making of F/X (SD, 14 min) – An archival segment with Brown and others discussing the film.
- Trailers for both films
The Special Features on F/X 2 are:
- Making-of Featurette (SD, 7 min) – Another archival segment that briefly looks behind the scenes.
- Trailers for both films
F/X and F/X 2 are mildly entertaining action pictures. The initial concept is good for F/X is good, but neither screenplay makes the stories, characters, or dialogue very memorable. I would recommend F/X, but the sequel isn’t as strong as the original so this set is better suited for fans of both movies. The Blu-rays deliver adequate high-definition presentations but both films could use restorations of the video.
