The "bad boys of magic" go over the edge in this mind-blowing, role-switching comedy murder mystery set in the dizzying world of Atlantic City casinos. In a TV interview, Penn mentions his idea of a fun practical joke: "I wish someone were trying to kill me. It would give focus to my life, excitement. I'd be like James Bond." Twenty million people hear him. One decides to deliver a punchline he'll never forget. Made by people who thought Psycho was a comedy, Penn & Teller Get Killed (they also wrote the piece) features Caitlin Clarke as the femme fatale and David Patrick Kelly as the Edgar Allan Poe-esque nutcase with a new mission. Arthur Penn, known for hip masterpieces like Bonnie and Clyde, Alice's Restaurant and Little Big Man, directs with roller-coaster pacing and subversive intelligence.
29 Jul Penn and Teller Get Killed (1989)
Genuine
This is an absolutely unwatchable film, featuring two by then seasoned performers and directed by one of our greatest filmmakers.
The basic idea is that the two magicians play tricks on each other, and toward the end you aren’t sure when dangerous things are genuine or not. The joke is that this is what they do on stage and everyone walks away happy at the end. But in this case, the story-of-the-trick is never revealed, and more and more unexpected twists pile up, more people are apparently killed in more arbitrary ways.
So, at the end, at least in the movie, there is no trick, no reveal. Everyone dies. In fact, there is a voice over from Penn that they felt this was the only honest way to go — a sort of reverse con movie, as well as an upside-down magic trick.
I really like these guys. I like a lot of what they’ve done in their career and generally their values (outside of gun freedom). But they missed with this. The big surprise is that Arthur Penn would do such shoddy work.
Posted in 2025
Ted’s Evaluation — 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.
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