Death Defying Acts

Death Defying Acts casts Guy Pearce as Harry Houdini, with the bulk of the film revolving around the legendary magician’s relationship with a conniving Scottish psychic (Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Mary McGregor) and her scrappy daughter (Saoirse Ronan’s Benji). Anchored by Pearce’s expectedly charismatic performance, the film generally comes off as a watchable yet entirely unexceptional effort; director Gillian Armstrong’s lush visuals effectively complement Tony Grisoni and Brian Ward’s slow-moving screenplay, yet there’s no denying that the movie occasionally feels as though it’s been put together with a prefabricated mold for costume dramas. Zeta-Jones’ expectedly lackluster work as Mary (including a questionable Scottish accent) is offset by yet another eye-opening performance by Ronan, who, between this and Atonement, is surely setting herself up as a major new talent within the industry. And while Death Defying Acts is rarely out-and-out boring, the film’s inability to make any real impact upon the viewer ultimately transforms it into a distinctly forgettable piece of work.

**1/2 out of ****