A professional magician tours Europe in the company of his pretty assistant/girlfriend, who has helped him develop an act that's a copper-bottomed success. They both look forward to performing in one of the most prestigious hotels of Switzerland, as part of a festive entertainment honoring two foreign heads of state. Little do they know that their presence at the event has been carefully engineered by a gang of cold-blooded assassins...
The plot of "Quicker than the eye" deals with a magician who gets caught in a cruel trap and needs to use his skills in order to survive. It's pleasantly watchable escapist entertainment, probably best described as a mix of thriller, action/adventure and comedy. The story, which is told in a linear fashion, is quite intelligible. The locations are beautiful and there are a number of jokes and tongue-in-cheek moments to enjoy, such as the sight of two fearsome heads of state enjoying a programme of folk dancing and alphorn playing. (According to many specialists in international law, blowing an alphorn anywhere near a foreign head of state constitutes a casus belli.)
One of the characters, who manages a hotel, tries to deflect the attentions of the press by offering the assembled newshounds drinks "on the house". Anyone even slightly familiar with the workings of our free press could have told her that it would have been cheaper just to reach into the cash register and throw all the bills in the air.
Sadly the movie also has its weaknesses. One gets the impression that the actors hail from a wide range of nations, cultures and language groups ; more arrestingly, one also gets the impression that they represent a wide range of acting styles and role approaches. It results in a slippery "Tower of Babel" feel which undermines the artistic unity of the whole.
You'll notice that our male magician, who has been sleeping with his assistant since eight years, grows less than enthusiastic every time she mentions marriage or settling down. Meanwhile he is not averse to casual affairs whenever attractive strangers cross his path. Women and girls, never share your life with such a man : he'll string you along until you're forty, causing you to waste your youth and your fertility, before absconding to some far-distant city. No forwarding address will be forthcoming. (The movie, of course, ties up this particular storyline with a nice, shiny bow. That's why we call it "the movies", as distinct from real life.)
If you like "Quicker than the eye" you may want to take a look at "F/X" (1986), with Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy. In "F/X" an unsuspecting special effects man gets manipulated by cunning criminals.
The plot of "Quicker than the eye" deals with a magician who gets caught in a cruel trap and needs to use his skills in order to survive. It's pleasantly watchable escapist entertainment, probably best described as a mix of thriller, action/adventure and comedy. The story, which is told in a linear fashion, is quite intelligible. The locations are beautiful and there are a number of jokes and tongue-in-cheek moments to enjoy, such as the sight of two fearsome heads of state enjoying a programme of folk dancing and alphorn playing. (According to many specialists in international law, blowing an alphorn anywhere near a foreign head of state constitutes a casus belli.)
One of the characters, who manages a hotel, tries to deflect the attentions of the press by offering the assembled newshounds drinks "on the house". Anyone even slightly familiar with the workings of our free press could have told her that it would have been cheaper just to reach into the cash register and throw all the bills in the air.
Sadly the movie also has its weaknesses. One gets the impression that the actors hail from a wide range of nations, cultures and language groups ; more arrestingly, one also gets the impression that they represent a wide range of acting styles and role approaches. It results in a slippery "Tower of Babel" feel which undermines the artistic unity of the whole.
You'll notice that our male magician, who has been sleeping with his assistant since eight years, grows less than enthusiastic every time she mentions marriage or settling down. Meanwhile he is not averse to casual affairs whenever attractive strangers cross his path. Women and girls, never share your life with such a man : he'll string you along until you're forty, causing you to waste your youth and your fertility, before absconding to some far-distant city. No forwarding address will be forthcoming. (The movie, of course, ties up this particular storyline with a nice, shiny bow. That's why we call it "the movies", as distinct from real life.)
If you like "Quicker than the eye" you may want to take a look at "F/X" (1986), with Bryan Brown and Brian Dennehy. In "F/X" an unsuspecting special effects man gets manipulated by cunning criminals.