Deadly 'F/X’

Press, 3 July 1986, Page 18

Deadly 'F/X’

“F/X: Murder by Illusion,” which will start at the Avon tomorrow, is an action-packed murderthriller starring Bryan Brown. In Hollywood, F/X is short for special effects, the art of making the unbelievable believable. Rollie Tyler (Brown) is just that type of wizard, creating such cinematic triumphs as “I Dismember Momma” and “The Mannequin Depression.” In fact, Tyler is so good that he is about to receive an offer that he has never dreamed of. Tyler’s work could involve turning a man into a monster, launching him into outer space — or murder. The only problem is that somebody wants Tyler to turn his trade into the real thing. It seems the U.S. Government wants to stage a

fake assassination for its Witness Relocation Programme, effectively hiding a Mafia informer. According to the Oscarwinning special-effects man, John Stears, “F/X” is not the product of some imaginative screenwriter. “I’ve been approached three times by various agencies to do similar sorts of things. I can’t really talk about it, some were official government concerns. I’m glad I didn’t get involved, knowing what the outcome has been,” says Stears. Brown sees Tyler as "a normal guy who hasn’t particularly had to pay a lot of attention to life. He doesn’t see his work as being special. I want Rollie to appear ordinary, so that when everything happens to him, it’s like a bolt out of the blue — suddenly his life’s at stake.”