Look what you've done to me.

Death Defying Acts

(2007)

This account of Houdini’s last days takes as its starting point his quest to debunk mystics due to an obsession with his departed mother. Or, rather, its starting point is Catherine Zeta-Jones and daughter Saoirise Ronan’s psychic stage act, which leads them to cross the path of Houdini (Guy Pearce).

From whence romance between Zeta-Jones and Pearce blossoms. None of which is very involving. Disappointingly lightweight, given it finds inspiration in the great showman, the (invented) love story doesn’t ignite and It’s left to reliable Timothy Spall to curmudgeon it from the sidelines.

All the more dismaying that this comes from the pen of Tony Grisoni, who dazzled not long after this with his screenplays for the Red Riding Trilogy.

**1/2

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