F/X 1 - Murder By Illusion (1986)

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Murder By Illusion! The world of movie make-believe meets the gritty New York crime scene in this taut and clever suspense movie. Bryan Brown (Tai-Pan) and Brian Dennehy (Gorky Park) command the heart-pounding action in the first-class; crackling excitement of F/X. Rollie Tyler (Brown) is the best special effects artist in showbiz, but this time it's not the studios seeking him out... it's the Justice Department. His assignment: to stage the assassination of an important underworld witness. And after he pulls the illusion off - making the informant disappear - Rollie is dumbfounded to learn that he's being pinned for the murder! Double-crossed and now hunted by those who hired him, Rollie quickly learns that he can trust no one... and that the only thing left that can save his life is his unequaled mastery of illusion! This top-notch thriller featured wonderful performances by Diane Venora, Cliff de Young, Mason Adams, Jerry Orbach and Tom Noonan and great direction by Robert Mandel (The Substitute).