F/X (1986)

A movie special effects wizard (Bryan Brown) is hired by the Justice Department to stage a fake assassination of a mobster (Jerry Orbach) before he goes into the witness protection program. But he soon finds himself a wanted man when the "fake" assassination turns out to be very real. This smooth fast moving thriller is quite agreeable if one is willing to suspend belief for its running time. Its complicated plot is far fetched and at times too obvious. One wonders how a sophisticated F/X specialist doesn't get at all suspicious when he's first approached by a federal agent (Cliff De Young) especially since De Young's oily performance practically screams out, "Don't trust me!". But its script problems aside, the film is so well crafted as an action piece that one can easily forget its weaknesses when caught up in the action. Directed by Robert Mandel. With Diane Venora, Mason Adams, Martha Gehman, Joe Grifasi and Trey Wilson.