What the film loses in momentum as the romance takes over, it gains in sex appeal as its two attractive actors make their own kind of magic.
Comment
07/11/08
Death Defying Acts (2008)
20
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:5
Fresh:1
Rotten:4
Average Rating:4.9/10
Consensus: Pretty but dull, with unconvincing turns from Zeta-Jones and Pearce. If you want a period magician movie, seek out The Prestige or The Illusionist instead.
Theatrical Release:Jul 11, 2008 Limited
Synopsis: Celebrated director Gillian Armstrong (MY BRILLIANT CAREER, LITTLE WOMEN) helms this film about Harry Houdini's romance with a con woman. In his attempts to contact his dead mother, the magician... [More]
Starring: Guy Pearce, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Timothy Spall, Saoirse Ronan
Director: Gillian Armstrong
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Reviews for Death Defying Acts
1 - 5 (sorted by date)
Top CriticDirector Gillian Armstrong is more attentive to decor than the story, which never seems in a hurry to get anyplace in particular and concludes with a thud.
07/11/08
Top CriticZeta-Jones and Pearce don't have much chemistry, the script lacks any significant depth and the direction feels oddly uninspired.
07/11/08
Top CriticDeath Defying Acts, a fictionalized love story involving Harry Houdini, could be a sweet little discovery if only the relationship at the core of it were more convincing.
07/11/08
Top CriticSounding intriguing enough in concept, Death misses the mark onscreen in a way adaptations of deceptively cinematic novels often do.
09/08/07
Top Critic1 - 5 (sorted by date)
Latest News for Death Defying Acts
December 04, 2008:
Report Warns UK Tax Credits Turning Off Co-Productions 
A new report claims that UK tax credits aren't sufficient to appeal to UK co-productions. The rules work well for UK films which are set in the UK but they aren't quite as... More...
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