Rollie retreats to his girlfriend Ellen's apartment, but she is killed the next morning by a sniper, whom Rollie kills in a fight.

DeFranco is set to testify against his former Mafia bosses and go into witness protection, but the DoJ is afraid he will be killed before the trial.Rollie Tyler, Hollywood's best special effects man, is commissioned to execute a murder that can only be carried out through the use of his incredible skills. it works a little too well, as the killer and the person used as bait are both taken out at the same time by a third party. A week before its release, a film industry screening was very successful, as was its premiere at the United States Film Festival (later known as the Sundance Film Festival). Mason picks up the gun and demands the key back, but Rollie reveals the gun is empty and has Krazy Glue on its grip, before shoving Mason out of the mansion toward the police, who misinterpret his actions as a threat and fatally shoot him.

For the second, a sci-fi alien movie inspired by The Terminator featuring an alien cyborg Disguised in Drag is being filmed. Mandel accepted the job because he wanted to dispel the perception that he was a "soft, arty director".It stands out with a slick basic idea developed to a proper script that offers twists and surprises all the way to the end, but luckily not as much as "Mission: Impossible" did. Lighter and Softer: The PG-13 sequel is this to the R-rated original film, due to less profanity, gore and violence. Celebrity Paradox: The Rambo films exists in the film's universe, evidenced by the poster for the second film in Rollie's apartment. Things get further compounded when the "Quarter million dollar" animatronic prop used for the alien cyborg runs amok and threatens the safety of the gathered audience.

Movie special effects expert Roland "Rollie" Tyler is hired by the Department of Justice to stage the murder of Mafia informant Nicholas DeFranco. Master of Disguise: Rollie makes full use of his makeup skills to appear as different people, or to disguise other people as part of his plans. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. The site's consensus states; "Smart, twisty, and perfectly cast, the effects-assisted neo-noir F/X reminds viewers that a well-told story is the most special effect of all.It turns out to be a double bluff where Rollie is framed for the death of DeFranco, but he was indeed only Faking The Dead. They did not want to hire an action director, [3] but instead wanted a director who would bring a realistic touch to the film and make the audience care about the main character having been impressed with Mandel's direction of actors in Independence Day. Staged Shooting: What Rollie is hired for in the first movie, based on the success of one he helped execute for a movie. F/X (also known as or subtitled Murder by Illusion) is a 1986 American action thriller film directed by Robert Mandel, written by Gregory Fleeman and Robert T.

However, when the Mafioso kingpin goes missing for real, it is the SFX man who is collared for his murder. DeFranco wears Rollie's rig to an Italian restaurant and the public "assassination" goes flawlessly. MacGyvering: Rollie uses his special effects wizardry to survive a number of scrapes throughout the films. F/X: Murder by Illusion is a 1986 movie starring Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy about a special effects designer who gets dragged into a criminal conspiracy. Set a Mook to Kill a Mook: In the climax of the first movie, Rollie deals with Mason's mooks by using special effects tricks to make them kill each other while trying to kill him (for instance, by making a reflection of himself appear to a mook who shoots at it and kills another mook who was standing behind it).With his sly eyes and little can opener of a nose, his shoulders a yard wide, his hair massing in gray curls behind his ears, he dances through the movie like a mastodon in toe shoes.