F/X2 (1991) User Reviews (31)

Simple and plain sequel with splendid duo protagonist as Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 17 September 2010]

This agreeable follow-up packs intrigue , fast pace , action , suspense and lots of amusement . F/X was a great movie because of the idea of a special effects artist attempting to get himself out of a mess . This followup is also good but inferior to original . It deals with F/X man Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) as expert craftsman , nowadays he is a toymaker and settles a peaceful life . A Police agent , asks Rollie to help him to make a setup for chase a psycho-killer . As Rollie accepts because the cop is the ex-husband (Tom Mason ) of his new girlfriend (Rachel Ticotin) and he carries out the execution the phony work . The operation was going well when allegedly another murderer kills the cop . When corrupt agents double cross him on the staging the fake assassination Rollie finds himself embroiled in a deadly cover-up and he uses his special effects to trap the corrupt agents . Obviously a chief police is involved with the death , but when the things get worse Rollie calls on Leo MacCarthy (Brian Dennehy ) , confronting both of them a corrupt system . The whiz Rollie and Leo team up once more to use their special effects and advanced technology to find those responsible for the death of the cop . Rollie must use his movie magic and wits to discover the true guilty , survive and he becomes involved a mess that includes Mafia , Vatican and some golden medallions . As far as the story goes , it involves a bigger scale of corruption in the law enforcement circle .

Entertaining but ordinary 1990's-type action thriller that has some nice parts as is fast-paced , well acted , engaging and thrilling film . It has ex-Inspector Dennehy and FX wizard Brown in perfect form , developing an enjoyable relationship between the crime-busting buddies . Furthermore, good secondaries as Rachel Ticotin , Kevin J O'Connor , Joanna Gleason , Philip Bosco , all of them make fine performances . Some moments were predictable , but for the most part , it was finely-paced with action scenes efficiently handed and some good intrigue and mystery . There are some very exciting scenes as well as some ingenious special effects, including the final setup that resolves prominently the intrigue . The cinematography by Victor J. Kemper and editing are functional . Decent musical score fitting to action by Lalo Schifrin though excessive use of synthesizer . Action is pretty nicely done and fast moving with some engaging gimmickry provided by means of Animatronics and a telemetry suit , enabling the wearer to control a clown's movements via remote control that includes piloting a helicopter . The motion picture is professionally directed by Richard Franklin (Road games , Psycho II, Patrick). This is an acceptable if somewhat belated following to surprise hit realized in 1986 that was a Sleeper titled ¨FX , Murder by illusion¨ , the sequel ¨FX2¨ however, the entire thing is nowhere near as exciting and interesting . It's followed followed by an amiable TV series .

Some original moments but otherwise a run-of-the-mill action flick

[Red-Barracuda · 5/10 · 7 January 2015]

The original F/X was a moderately successful movie. It certainly wasn't anything great but it did have unmistakable quirkiness in regards to how it approached the action genre. This sequel took five years to follow it, which does seem quite slow by the standards of the day. It teamed up the duo of Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy again, the former playing the lead character, special effects artist Rollie Tyler.

The film opens once again with another amusing opening that turns out to be a film-within-a-film, featuring a transvestite alien lunatic. The story kicks into gear when Rollie's police detective friend is killed on a sting he was roped into. He has evidence of foul play though, so he joins forces with his private investigator buddy to get to the bottom of the conspiracy. Truthfully, the story is not very good and ultimately is only there to serve as a means to connect various action and jovial banter scenes together. In fairness, like the first movie, there are some entertainingly different action scenes to enjoy. Especially good was the robot clown fight, which was a refreshingly different way to approach an action movie punch up; also amusing was the shop sequence where the bad guy is finally dispatched when he has his head mechanically cellophaned like a supermarket chicken! But all-in-all, irrespective of these occasional original moments, F/X 2: The Deadly Art of Illusion is nothing to get too excited about. It's a passably entertaining action flick and no more really.

Entertaining but Typical 1980's-type Action Thriller that Had Greater Potential

[classicalsteve · 7/10 · 16 March 2008]

The glaring shortcoming of F/X 2 is that the main thrust of the plot, i.e. the what and why of the baddies, is not revealed until an hour or so into the film. At 109 minutes, that's well over half-way. Certainly the point was to pop our main character, Rollie Tyler (reprised by Bryan Brown from the first movie), into a life and death situation beyond his comprehension, and not until several clues are followed revealed that he (and we) find out what these circumstances are.

Briefly, Rollie, the Australian special effects wizard, is hired again by the FBI to aid in cornering a serial killer. However, the plan goes awry when the FBI man who was supposed to stop the suspect in his tracks is killed by another unknown killer. Rollie finds himself also caught in a web of intrigue. And of course, when he is on the verge of getting snuffed out, Dennehy as Leo McCarthy pops in to save his ass. Not a bad opening, all things considered.

Finally, Leo uncovers the back story, which I won't reveal, lest I be accused of "giving it away" as they say. However, the back story is described almost offhandedly, without even a flashback. Unfortunately, the downside is that, with very little screen time left, neither the history of what's behind the bad guys' motivations nor the bad guys themselves are ever fully developed. I found myself wanting to know more about the circumstances surrounding this back story, the what and the why. Of course, with these kinds of movies, a lot of screen time must be devoted to the baddies chasing the innocent by-standers in shopping malls or in car chases. I guess it's a Hollywood law that American filmmakers must devote a specified minimum amount of time to choreographed running around and shooting so they can legitimately call their project an "action movie".

Still the film has its entertainment value. There is a strange chemistry that exists between Brian Dennehy (reprising his role has Leo McCarthy) and Bryan Brown, and again I wish that had been milked for all its worth. Of course, the most entertaining sequence, like the first installment, is the use of movie effects to thwart the bad guys, which works very well. Maybe I appreciated it as a breath of fresh air from the typical cat and mouse chase with automatic weapons that typically climaxes most of these kinds of films.

Still very much in the style of a 1980's action movie, although this was 1991, with the typical rock songs spliced in for good measure. With the exception of the use of the special effects against the baddies at the finale, story-wise it is really the equivalent of a two-part episode of "Simon and Simon" with a larger budget.

Plot kinda zigs and Zags but its still fun...

[gazzo-2 · 18 August 2001]

Decent if somewhat belated(5 years??) followup to the '86 suprise hit, has Dennehy and Brown in fine form, some involved monkey business with Vatican medallions, bad cops and computer records. You gotta like the MacGyver-ish stuff they throw in, the indestructible hit-man and of course, That Clown. The Fighting, Animitronic Klown. Quite funny in it's way.

This thing is def. tongue in cheek, at little on the confusing side if you try to think about the flips and flops in the plotting; but hey-it's all in fun. Dated but good.

**1/2 outta ****.

Rollie's at it again

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 19 October 2006]

Special effects genius Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) is lured back into the world of creating illusion in "F/X2" also starring Brian Dennehy and Rachel Ticotin. It's five years since Rollie quit the film business; now he's a toy-maker with a new girlfriend, Kim (Ticotin). When Kim's ex-husband, Mike (Tom Mason), a police officer, asks for Rollie's help in catching a killer, he reluctantly agrees. Through no fault of Rollie's, Mike ends up dead and Rollie has the proof that Mike was set up. This puts Rollie in danger - deja vu. He makes a desperate call to Leo, and the two team up again.

This time around, the plot is a somewhat far-fetched, the emphasis being more on action. There are some very exciting scenes as well as some ingenious toys, including a toy clown that figures prominently in the plot. Brown and Dennehy have incredible chemistry. They're a joy to watch. My old classmate, Josie DeGuzman (here spelled Josie) is back as Leo's secret weapon in the department. Being predominantly a theater actress, her performance is somewhat stagy but she's no less likable. Joanna Gleason plays an assistant DA.

Clever effects, the great re-teaming of Brown and Dennehy, and very entertaining.

"Home Alone: Adult Kevin"

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 25 February 2020]

I can't help but think that the success of "Home Alone" contributed to the creation of "F/X2." "F/X2" was an adult version of "Home Alone." The special effects were fewer while the booby traps were more. It was OK I just couldn't help but think I was watching "Home Alone 6: Kevin Has a Job."

inferior sequel

[SnoopyStyle · 4/10 · 19 October 2015]

Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) is no longer in the movies. He's now a toymaker with a girlfriend named Kim Brandon (Rachel Ticotin). Her ex-husband NYPD detective Mike Brandon asks him to use his skills to help catch a killer. As the other cops go off to take down the suspect, a mysterious assassin kills Mike. Rollie records Lt. Ray Silak tampering with the murder weapon. The assassin tracks down Rollie and Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) saves him in the nick of time.

The most memorable thing in this movie is Rollie's man-size mechanical clown with a control bodysuit. It's a double-edge sword. It's fun at first but Rollie looks sillier and sillier with the control suit. In fact, a lot of this movie is pretty silly. A lot of the traps are reminiscent of "Home Alone" with chemicals and bigger tech.

Along with all the gadgetry, one of the things that Rollie is known for is his avoidance of guns. He's a MacGyver in that way. However this can go too far. In one scene, he grabs the assassin's gun in the aquarium while he's being drowned. Then for some reason he leaves it behind for the assassin to pick up and shoot at him. It's annoying when smart characters do stupid things. This is simply inferior to the original. It's not as much fun. It is sillier and not as compelling. It's not terrible but it's not good.

Guilty Pleasure

[no-skyline · 6/10 · 30 December 2004]

Everyone has one or two films which they know in their heart of hearts isn't a great film, maybe not even an average one but for whatever reason it crawls inside your head and wont let go. You just can't help but love it and this is one of mine. The acting is OK, the story idea is kind of cool if a little un-believable, the bad guys are inept (why doesn't anyone just shoot the guy!) but none of it matters I love this film.

Bryan Brown is excellent as the FX Man on the run and Brian Denehhey is up to his usual standards as good backup. It's a fun run from start to finish if you sit back and let it go this is a great way to pass 95mins. The FX tricks employed are clever and gosh darn it there's a happy ending maybe i'm just sentimental!! I hope more people see this film I highly recommend it, now i'm off to write a review of my other guilty pleasure the Secret of My Success.....

8/10

Disappointing sequel

[kjruk · 5/10 · 28 February 2013]

You can only appreciate this sequel if you saw the first one as there are so many references to it. Whereas the first one was quirky, original and well produced this one isn't. It's just OK.

There are too many silly behaviours and plot holes to mention like leaving the killer to get up and walk away for no good reason when they could easily have got him. Plus its full of the usual clichés. The two actors are wasted in a film with much lower production costs. It looks and feels a bit cheap. Even the so called special effects aren't up to much.

The actors work well together but I think Dennehy is the one that adds character and depth and saves the film.

So all in all a disappointment. I'll be watching the first one again sometime but not this one.

More illusionism in a snappier product, but....

[videorama-759-859391 · 7/10 · 27 March 2020]

Here's one of those better sequels, but it's good to see this ended here, where a spin off movie came a few years later, with that bloody Daddo. What we have here is still a pretty slick FX, that doesn't disappoint, and holds up against the original, where I found, this one more entertaining than the first, and in some ways better, but of course, not as good as it's preceding baby of 1986, which was a blockbuster. We cut to a few years later, with the exact same kind of opening. only we have a retired Rollie Tyler and his little stepson, watching the show, this shoot backfiring, and a deadlier backfire later, which propels Rollie back into action, teaming up with an old counterpart (Dennehy, minus the moustache) now a private dick. This one has quite a good backstory, yet with the same surrounding, familiar elements, corrupt cops, psycho hitmen, double cross, etc. where Tyler and Dennehy must bring down the culprits responsible for killing Brown's girlfriend's (Ticotin's) ex, a decorated cop, who's murder is has a even slicker sting, you won't see coming,. There's more creative tricks of illusion, Brown uses here, to fend off the bad guys than the original, and again, I found this one, much more entertaining. It's good to see our two favorite Bryan/Brian's back, and there was some nice attributes I liked, including Dennehy waltzing back into the Intelligence Bureau office, rekindling an old friendship, Jamaica tickets in check, and his mode of transport, shows style. Brown too recommends Sydney, as the best place to pick up a pizza. He's not half right. Slick great paced, colorful action with solid performances in an FX that never dulls. Ticotin is a great choice of casting as Brown's new girlfriend, and has never been more sexier either. Your 107 minutes of duration goes fast in this one.

Special Effects Vehicle

[gcd70 · 4/10 · 30 July 2007]

The special effects in "F/X 2" from director Richard Franklin are quite impressive in a movie that, unfortunately, relies entirely upon them alone to carry it. Franklin opens his pic in the same manner as the first, that is, a film within a film.

"The Deadly Art of Illusion" lacks the edge of the seat plot line and very good performances of the first. Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy are only likable in this "F/X", and no more. Rachel Ticotin and Joanna Gleason add little to proceedings. Bill Condon's story (based upon original characters created by Robert T. Megginson and Gregory Fleeman) is along the same lines as the first, but nowhere near as good.

Monday, July 15, 1991 - Hoyts Forest Hill Chase

pure entertainment

[quatermassandersen · 8/10 · 18 December 1999]

This movie was pure entertainment, it did not have a good plot, but it`s entertaining as hell and with fine actors as well.

Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy is both fine in the lead roles and they give the movie extra spice.

The movie can also offer great enjoyable to watch special effects and very good staged action scenes.

A Solid Sequel

[monkeysgalore · 7/10 · 23 March 2020]

This may be the most unnecessary sequel I've ever seen. Just why? The first one may have slightly suggested a possible sequel, but there was no need. This film, while unnecessary, is still fun, but more complicated and OTT than the original.

The plot, as I said, is complex, and hard to follow, but there are some fun action sequences. This is pretty much a retread or the original, but with Brown and Dennehy actually working together on screen this time. The character of Rollie Tyler is still likable, and Brown really carries the movie. Tyler is once again tricked into faking a death for the police, which goes wrong, he's again attacked by an assassin in his home, the lives of his loved ones are again threatened, and there is another long, special effects-laden climax at the villain's mansion. It's pretty much the same movie.

The action is entertaining, if unbelievable. The apartment fight scene is good, the convenience store scene is cool, and the climax is alright. There isn't as much action in this one, but there is a robot clown which Tyler controls with a special suit. So there's that.

I'm surprised this movie wasn't rated R. Yes, they held back more on the language this time, but it was still pretty violent, and there's even some female nudity. Definitely R-worthy stuff if you ask me.

Check it out if you saw the first. It's fun, though overwrought.

Well, now, you don't play video games for the *plot*, do you...

[Nyssa · 5/10 · 25 June 1999]

People who prefer coherent stories shouldn't even touch F/X2 with a pole of any length. But those who can browse through books for the scenes with action might enjoy F/X2. The plot is secondary, like the plots of street fighting video games like Tekken or Killer Instinct. This plot only serves to link all the special effects together, so F/X2 becomes more than a random montage of clever escapes and neat toys, all engineered by the main character Rollie, who is a former special effects creator played in the most charismatic way possible by Bryan Brown.

Despite the sparse plot, the escapes and the toys really are fun to watch, especially the famous supermarket scene and the strange creation Bluey the Clown. The "witty banter" between the characters is pretty much survivable. But under no circumstances should a person attempt to pay close attention to this movie. The narrow escapes may be fun and showy to watch (the main character is a special effects engineer, after all), but the getting there is pretty tedious. Distract yourself along the way: fold the laundry, hold a cocktail party, balance your checkbook, or browse the Internet, and just pay attention again during the fun bits. You won't be missing much in between.

Almost as good as the first.

[vertigo_14 · 4 April 2004]

F/X2 was actually a good sequel. But I think that's because it is very much like the first movie. And, F/X itself was a great movie because of the idea of a special effects artist trying to get himself out of a mess. Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) is now a toy inventor, having retired from the special effects business. His girlfriend's ex-husband, a cop named Mike, employ's Rollie's special effects expertise to set up a sting operation. But, something goes foul and the cop winds up dead. Like F/X 2, Rollie becomes once again involved with crooked cops and has to solve the whodunnit. And, part of what made the first movie great, too, was Brian Dennehy as detective Leo McCarthy, who Rollie Tyler calls on for help.

As far as the story goes, it involves a bigger scale of corruption in the law enforcement circle, but the movie is just as enjoyable. And, you still get to see Rollie Tyler using his special effects abilities, which I always thought was the best part of the first one. If you have seen the first F/X, it's probably very likely you'll like the second one. It's one of the few movies I have seen where I can say that the sequel was pretty good.

F/X 2: The Deadly Art of Illusion

[djfjflsflscv · 6/10 · 25 April 2020]

Five years after thwarting a government conspiracy involving the murder of his girlfriend, Australian Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown), a former designer of movie special effects, has carved out a new life creating expensive mechanised toys and living with new love Kim (Total Recall's Rachel Ticotin) and her son Chris (Dominic Zamprogna). Things are going well until Kim's ex-husband cop Mike asks for help in snaring a dangerous rapist. Rollie agrees and once more conjures movie magic to make the trap look genuine. Unfortunately, it goes wrong and Mike is killed, and Rollie discovers it was an inside job. Worse - the bad guys know this and want him and Kim dead. With friend and former NYPD detective Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) in tow, Rollie investigates a plot involving antique gold medallions, corrupt cops and a multi-million dollar Mafia deal. He will need all of his technological know-how and shrewd survival tactics to keep his new family safe.

This sequel came five years after 1986's F/X: Murder By Illusion, a modest hit at the box office but an even bigger one on the home video market. Producer Dodi Fayed (who would, of course, die tragically with Princess Diana) returned alongside Brown, while the script was written by Bill Condon, a future Oscar winner of such impressively diverse films as Chicago, Mr Holmes, the last two Twilight films, Kinsey and The Greatest Showman. Although it initially opened at number one, the film failed to have any continued success and reviews weren't particularly kind. It's still, though, a worthy follow-up and sure to please fans of the first one.

Sequels usually take what worked in the original and repeat it more broadly, and that's precisely what happens here, right down to the elderly lawman turning coat for millions (which can only make you question the paucity of police pensions), the guerrilla war finale, and a welcome re-appearance from computer whiz Marisa Velez (Jossie DeGuzman). Most importantly, of course, we see Rollie cook up even more ingeniously inventive traps - literally, during a stand-out supermarket chase, when baked beans prove every bit a dangerous as natural uranium. There's also an original - or, at least, "different" - fight involving an imitative robot clown.

It's all jolly japes, and the Vatican medallions give it a mild National Treasure flavour, but the premise seems a little tired by the end. In giving the hero a distinctively technological approach to combat, as opposed to letting him use his fists, the script paints itself into a corner. Rollie goes out of his way to set traps for anonymous henchmen when a swift knock on the bonce would be simpler. (Perhaps he's a pacifist, but what this man can do with an aerosol spray would impress MacGyver.) At one point, we're expected to believe he has previously infiltrated the villain's heavily-guarded house in order to set traps which shall enable him to infiltrate it a second time. It's a paradox worthy of Doctor Who. (Another head-scratcher is the absence of the fifteen million dollars Rollie and Leo stole at the end of the first film and their subsequent escape into the Swiss Alps. They're now both back in New York so clearly aren't fugitives, and while we may assume that Rollie bought his fancy loft apartment with his half of the money, he still works for a living. Leo, meanwhile, despite owning a defunct bar, has to makes ends meet as a private detective specialising in divorce cases.)

The film climaxes with a couple of neat gadgets shrewdly seeded at the beginning, a minor twist concerning the medallions, and an unexpectedly comic ending for the main bad guy. I don't understand why it wasn't as warmly received as the first film, as they're both very good. The premise is solid, like an adult, city-wide Home Alone. Though I'd have thought two films were enough, a television series based on the films began in 1998 and ran for two seasons.

Alms for the church collection...

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 2 August 2004]

In this sequel we are treated to another display of brilliant special effects, but as someone has already opined in this forum, if one is looking for a great plot, alas, someone has to go somewhere else because the screen play is not exactly the best thing this film has.

Director Richard Franklin brings back Rolly and Leo to do the things they did in the first film with such great fun. Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy still have a great rapport playing together. This is a pair made in heaven and one wished they would team up again.

There are a few things in the movie that make it watchable and the special effects are cleverly executed. The final chase sequence is a lot of fun to watch, as it is the final twist as the treasure is reunited with its proper owner.

F/X 2

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 13 March 2022]

Richard Franklin came to America to make movies after success in his native Australia with films like Fantasm, Patrick and Road Games. He made Psycho II, Cloak and Dagger, Link and this movie here before he went back home.

The script was written by Bill Condon, who also wrote Strange Behavior and Strange Invaders before moving on to direct movies like Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, Chicago, Dreamgirls and the final two Twilight films.

Rollie Tyler (Brown) has moved from simply practical effects to building a robot clown named Bluey which is controlled by a telemetry suit. This leads to an amazing fight where both Tyler and his robot are both battling a henchman. But before we get to that, we get to why Tyler is on another adventure.

This time, his girlfriend Kim (Rachel Ticotin, Con Air)'s policeman ex-husband has been assigned to stakeout a killer who has already murdered one model. He asks him to entrap the man so they can get him off the streets, but the cop gets killed and Tyler is the only one with the evidence showing that he was murdered. He calls his old friend Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) for help.

The real story concerns stolen solid gold medallions that were cast by Michelangelo which show the figures in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Now, Tyler has to use his F/X abilities and Leo his detective skills to get those coins back to the Vatican while avoiding the killers on their trail.

While not as good as the first, the team of Brown and Dennehy is a winning one. Both F/X and F/X 2 aired often on cable when I was young, so they're comfort food to enjoy whenever I need them thanks to their blu ray release.

Pretty good for a sequel--but don't look at it TOO closely

[preppy-3 · 7/10 · 5 February 2012]

Retired special effects man Rollie Tyler (Bryan Brown) agrees to help trap a killer for the NYPD. The killer is caught and shot dead but a policeman also is killed. The police believe the killer was the one who did it--but Rollie was watching it on a hidden camera and caught someone else doing it. It eventually leads to hired killers going after Rollie and his girlfriend...so Rollie asks old pal Leo McCarthy (Brian Dennehy) for help.

Long delayed (5 YEARS!) sequel to "F/X" was basically ignored when it came out...but it's not bad. The story is a little needlessly convoluted but I was never bored. There are multiple twists and turns...especially at the end that caught me off guard. The action sequences are long, exciting and LOTS of fun (one with a clown was so out there it was almost surreal!). There is also some welcome humor that's actually funny (courtesy of Dennehy). However this movie has problems. The basic plot makes little sense--Brown would agree to help the cops again after what happened in the first picture? And, in a particularly stupid scene, Brown and Dennehy have a killer trapped under a truck...and drive away and let him go! Also there's a mean streak in here with some pretty bloody killings with sympathetic characters being killed and a kid and his mom being threatened at gunpoint. Still, if you ignore these lapses, this is a fun movie worth catching.

Some one should remake this

[andreschait · 5/10 · 19 September 2023]

I think both the synopsis and the script are great... Effects as well, however, the directing and acting are terrible... The whole movie is based on a man (cop) getting killed and characters just go along with that story as if their car just got stratched. Can make the same movie with all the same ideas on the script but properly implemented. Action scenes are pathetic, not believable enough, the sound production and the synced music they all seem made by a kid (highly unprofessional).

In my opinion, a movie depends on 3 basic factors (in order of importance):

• Story
• Acting (believable acting and action)
• Sound & Music

And both 2 & 3 were terrible.

I attribute the low level of this movie to a simple lack of budget.

A 5 well deserved.

To do a satisfying follow-up to a film, you must start by understanding it

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 6/10 · 1 July 2009]

This is another of the countless sequels where it is evident that those who made it simply did not "get" what made the movie special. The tactical use of FX is still there, to an extent, but they try so hard to outdo the original, and it just winds up as a series of gags, most of them seeming like far more effort than they're worth, which is a backwards version of the minimalistic and incredibly effective use in #1. They're not that creative or entertaining this time around. Tyler now works as a toy-maker, although the only example of his craft that we see is a man-size sorta-robotic clown-doll, with the words "I will be extremely convenient" written all over it. He is yet again asked to help with his skills, and after initially declining, and... nothing else happening, he says "why not"(literally), since otherwise, there'd be no flick(and boy, that would be a shame). Dennehy returns, and is good as he always is, and frankly, his answering machine is probably the funniest bit in this entire thing. The humor is about decent. This has a bigger, complex plot. The cinematography and editing are average. Action is pretty nicely done. This does have suspense, however, the entire thing is nowhere near as engaging or thrilling. The director has only done one other thing that I'd even heard of at all, Psycho II, and that single fact sums it up so perfectly(though that one was considerably worse), I almost don't want to add anything to it. All I'll say is the following: They are both completely unnecessary 2nd entries in a series that never demanded such, and the true fans of either franchise ought to realize that they are ultimately not up to the quality level. I think it says a lot that I re-watched both this and the first after several years, and while I was recognizing almost everything about the latter as I saw it, I had nearly forgotten the content of this one. The DVD holds a theatrical trailer, potentially spoiler-filled. I recommend this only to those who want something like what they got before, and don't mind settling, trading down. 6/10

This Is The Price We Pay

[damianphelps · 5/10 · 8 February 2021]

When the first movie does better than expected and the money hounds get a sniff. As a stand alone movie F/X is great but not great enough to have really warranted a sequel. So what was a novel and fresh take on the buddy cop genre has now lost its spark and degenerated into what we have here.

Its not a disaster by any stretch but not overly great either.

The leads are easy to watch so that helps.

Thankfully they never made a third (although they did do a tv series, with different actors!!!) where they literally replaced an Australian actor with an Australian gameshow host!

Great little sequel

[davelean · 9/10 · 25 April 2020]

I loved the first FX movie, and this was just as much fun to watch. I've been a fan since they came out and are always a great "go to" movie if bored. Love it that they follow on, same actors (although only 3 of them from the original) but it's enough to feel like a true sequel. Recently watched them both again in the unfortunate passing of Brian Dennehy. A truly great actor who I've appreciated since I first saw him in first blood. A true loss. This film doesn't disappoint, it's fun and it gives great background into special effects.

Clone before Dolly

[przgzr · 7/10 · 28 February 2005]

First: I don't like action movies (anyone who ever read any of my comments probably knows it).

But there are a few action movies that contain enough humor to be borderline comedies, and I just love them. After 'Lethal Weapon' (No 1 in the genre) I like FX most.

And what about FX2? You can't say it's better, you can't say it's worse, you can't (unfortunately) say it's different from FX1 at all. From the very start (action scenes from making a movie) to the very last (two main characters in Europe with a lot of money belonging to no one, so they can keep it) there are so many similarities that I'm reminded on modern TV coverage of ski races where TV directors put a picture of one competitor over another to compare them. And just like the skiers, these two movies go the same path between the same gates and making the same jumps with just a little divergence from time to time.

Comparing to 'Lethal Weapon' there is far less dynamics between main characters, they act as if they do their routine job - and remembering FX1 (where they hardly met at all) and watching first part of FX2 (where they say they haven't met for a long time) you would expect that they had to take some time to adjust one to another so they can cooperate that well. There are also more hard-to-believe plot twists than in part 1, so if that one looked funny though a bit strained, this one is still funny but unbelievable. But if that doesn't bother you, and if you liked part 1, you won't regret watching this sequel (or should I say clone?).

a surprisingly-good sequel

[MichaelM24 · 19 March 2002]

F/X 2 turned out to be a better sequel that I was expecting, as a result of what I had heard people say about it over the years. I was glad to see Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy share more scenes together this time around (they only had one in the first film), and I was also surprised that the story was pretty good, in the same league as the first. Sure, some parts were predictable (nearly every film has got some predictability to it), but for the most part, it was nicely-paced with some good suspense and mystery. I was hoping for a better usage of special effects by the characters (after all, the series is called F/X), but Brown pretty much just MacGyvers his way through the film, especially in the supermarket sequence, one of the film's standout scenes. My personal favorite was the scene in Brown's apartment, where he uses an animatronic remote-controlled clown to handle an assassin (who, like Cliff DeYoung in the first film, mysteriously vanishes from the movie without a trace), and the battle at the mansion at the end of the film is pretty exciting, with Brown making use of a bunch of effects equipment to stop the bad guys. All-in-all, a pretty decent sequel that has me torn between which of the two films I like more. I really can't decide. I know it's been eleven years, and since this one apparently didn't perform as well at the box office as the first one did, I doubt we'll ever see an F/X 3, but I wouldn't mind seeing it.