Director: Robert Mandel
Starring: Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Diana Venora, Cliff De Young, Jerry Orbach
Running Time: 108 minutes
Synopsis: In New York City, movie special effects expert Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) is hired by Justice Department official Lipton (Cliff De Young) to stage the death of mob informer DeFranco (Jerry Orbach). But immediately after the fake assassination, Rollie finds himself a target and realizes he has been set-up, with his girlfriend Ellen (Diana Venora) also endangered. Rollie has to use his special effects skills to escape and clear his name, while gruff police Detective McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) wades into the case.
What Works Well: A relatively innovative premise creates intriguing opportunities for melding visual tricks of the screen into the "real" movie-created world. Bryan Brown is lithe and suave in the central role, and Brian Dennehy as a frumpy battering ram of a detective provides a good counterpoint. Director Robert Mandel ensures brisk pacing and high-energy chase and action scenes.
What Does Not Work As Well: The plot mechanics are ludicrous to the point of not even attempting an explanation. Rollie transitions, in a quite a hurry, from a regular Joe to an all-action hero with secret agent abilities and willingness to use lethal force. The whiff of a B-movie is accentuated by clunky dialogue and amateurish secondary performances, with Martha Gehman as Rollie's assistant suffering the most.
Key Quote:
Ellen: Nobody cares about making movies about people any more. All they care about is special effects.
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