FX2: The Deadly Art of Illusion (1991)

Special-effects maestro Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) is up to his trompe l'oeil tricks again in this retread of the 1986 video smash FX. In FX2 he tries to help the police trap a slasher and finds himself caught in an unwieldy web of intrigue. Fortunately, ex-cop and former sidekick Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) is on hand to come to his aid once more. Unfortunately, FX2 is a poor simulation of the original. Its contrived plot exists merely to showcase underwhelming stunts, and even the few clever effects are overused. A remote-control clown appears so often that it ends up with more screen time than some of the villains. FX2 has its moments — Dennehy flips glasses in a takeoff of the hotshot bartender Brown played in Cocktail — but don't expect it to have a particularly special effect on you. C