DEATH DEFYING ACTS

Every once in a while, movies about magicians come out. Some recent examples are the critically acclaimed The Illusionist and The Prestige (I haven’t watched neither of them yet, but they both seem really good).

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Our new subject is the not so famous Death Defying Acts (UK/Australia, 2007), a period romantic drama by Gillian Armstrong.

The film is narrated by the young Benji McGarvie (Saoirse Ronan), a poor girl who lives with her mother Mary (Catherine Zeta-Jones) in Edinburgh, Scotland. Together, they present small psychic shows in night houses, talking to spirits and guessing things about the audience.

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But the truth is they don’t have any psychic powers: they’re just crooks who try to make a living by fooling the audience. When younger, Benji had medium powers: she could see things no one else could see. As time went by, she eventually lost her gift, as her mother predicted... or didn’t she?

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Harry Houdini (Guy Pearce), a famous illusionist, is visiting Edinburgh with his magic show. Haunted by his mother’s death, he wishes to talk to her one last time from beyond the grave. So he offers a $10,000 prize to however puts him in contact with his late mother again.

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Mary plans on fooling Houdini and getting the money. She gathers some information and applies to the challenge. I don’t need to say much more about the story: they soon become attracted to each other and the movie shows the relationship between Houdini, Mary and Benji.

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Well-done artistically and technically, the best thing about Death Defying Acts is the art direction. The acting is pretty good, too. Catherine may not be brilliant, but she does this part well: she’s seductive and cold. Pearce works well, too (although he seems a little too desperate to show his “physical attributes”).

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But Ronan is the best in the cast. Only 15-years-old, she’s one of the best teenage actresses out there. After I Could Never Be Your Woman, a light rom-com with Michelle Pfeiffer and Atonement, an Oscar-winning period drama, she’s a charm: cute and joyful, she gives a solid performance. I’m now waiting for The Lovely Bones, her next movie.

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The screenplay is not brilliant, though. After a good start, the movie gets lost in its final act. It’s a romance, so you can expect the typical cliché. No, it’s not a happily-ever-after film, but still: the story is almost forgotten, and the solution is too silly.

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They could have came up with a better ending. And by the way, the title is another problem. Maybe it’s referring to Houdini’s numbers, or to-- No, I won’t say it. Don’t want to spoil the movie! Despite its flaws: it’s not a big movie, it’s simply a discrete, forgettable film to pass the time.

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It’s good, but you won’t be missing anything if you skip this one. My vote is 3: average, but has its qualities.

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>> ZÉ B. [3/5]
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IMDB link: HERE