F/X2: The Deadly Art of Illusion (1991)

Directed by Richard Franklin. Starring Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy, Philip Bosco, Rachel Ticotin, Joanna Gleason, Josie de Guzman, Kevin J. O’Connor, Tom Mason, Dominic Zamprogna, John Walsh. [PG-13]

Uninspired sequel has a few fun gadgets and the comfortable presence of the leads, but almost everything else feels like a stale retread of its predecessor (or contemporary action-and-intrigue thrillers in general). Once again, Brown’s special effects wizard is asked to help with a dangerous assignment (lure a killer into a trap), but it goes badly; soon, he has crooked cops out to get him, with only his old retired cop buddy Dennehy to help…or was the guy kicked off the force, since not even the screenplay can decide? You don’t need the hero’s expertise to see through this movie’s illusion of logic and continuity, and the unevenly-paced plot manages to cruise on auto-pilot while also introducing outlandish ideas and coincidences (e.g., the villainous scheme involves the recovery of Vatican gold coins cast by Michelangelo himself!). An adequate time-killer but nothing more, with the most memorable scene being one involving a murderous intruder struggling to overcome an, ahem, “high-tech clown.” Interestingly enough, both films are very close to having the same runtimes, and Dennehy makes his first appearance in each at almost the exact same point (right around the 44-minute mark).

53/100