Death Defying Acts (2007)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Gillian Armstrong

Writers:

Tony Grisoni (written by) &
Brian Ward (written by)

Release Date:

13 March 2008 (Australia)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

There is no escape.

Plot:

On a tour of Britain in 1926, Harry Houdini enters into a passionate affair with a psychic out to con the famous magician.

Plot Keywords:

Psychic | Narration | Escape Artist | Dying Words | Fraud

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Guy Pearce	...	Harry Houdini
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Mary McGarvie
Timothy Spall	...	Sugarman
Saoirse Ronan	...	Benji McGarvie
Malcolm Shields	...	Leith Romeo
Leni Harper	...	Leith Romeo's wife
Ralph Riach	...	Mr. Robertson
Olivia Darnley	...	Flower Stall Seller
Anthony O'Donnell	...	Oily Librarian
Billy McColl	...	McTavish
James Holmes	...	Ugly Mug
Melanie Harris	...	Rose (as Frankey Martyn)
Aileen O'Gorman	...	Effie - Elderly Seamstress
Raymond Griffiths	...	Music Hall Dwarf
Shaun Mason	...	Heckler

Also Known As:

Death Defying Acts: Houdini's Secret (USA) (DVD box title)

MPAA:

Rated PG for some sensuality, thematic material, language, violent content and smoking.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

UK | Australia

Language:

English | Hungarian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:PG | Ireland:PG | South Korea:15 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG | New Zealand:PG | Finland:K-7 | Hong Kong:IIA | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Netherlands:12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Mexico:B

Filming Locations:

Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Australian Film Finance Corporation (AFFC)

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the scene before Houdini try to communicate with his passed mother via Mary McGarvie, it can be clearly seen there is a vacuum tube that happened to be a 6C33C Russian vacuum tube, which does not exist until the 60s, and further more, that vacuum tube couldn't work anymore, since it was leaked (it has a white layer of powder inside the tube that shows there is air inside).

Disappointingly flat

This film is about a woman who works as a con artist trying to deceive Harry Houdini into believing that she has psychic powers.

"Death Defying Acts" sounds like an action movie, but the poster looks more like a romantic film. In fact it is neither. It is a slowly unfolding drama about how Mary attempts to con Harry, and how harry falls for her.

As Houdini is the greatest escape artist of all times, a film about him should have been exciting, thrilling and even death defying. However, this film has none of these attributes. The plot is slow, plain and not exciting at all. There is not much tension or drama to captivate me. I do not care about the characters, and whatever relationship they have between them. There is little chemistry between Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Frankly, I think they are both miscast. Fortunately, Saoirse Ronan is delightful as the psychic sidekick. She is the one who save the film.

"Death Defying Acts" turns out to be a bore. I am quite disappointed by it.