An Honest Liar

Year: 2014
Genre: Documentary
Directed: Tyler Measom & Justin Weinstein
Stars: James Randi, Deyvi Pena, Penn Jillette, Teller, Jamy Ian Swiss, Richard Wiseman, Ray Hyman, Adam Savage, Alice Cooper, Banachek, Alexander Jason, Bill Nye, Uri Geller
Production: Left Turn Films

In the words of Robert Houdin, the father of modern illusion, "A magician is just an actor playing the part of a magician." If that be the case then James Randi is among the most prolific actors that has ever lived. The Canadian-born self-described charlatan has played a variety of roles over an 87-year life, from talented stage magician, daring escape artist, paranormal debunker, dedicated skeptic and doting husband. Yet recording a partial list of his accomplishments does very little in getting to the meat of a life that's beyond extraordinary. For that you have to see An Honest Liar, an unassuming biographical documentary that is arguably the best personal profile ever put on screen.

The first act opens quite as you would expect; a run-down of who James Randi is, where he's from (Toronto, Canada) and how he got involved in magic (Houdini and Harry Blackstone naturally). The film then follows the rabbit trails of every interview which are informed by the likes of fellow magicians Penn & Teller and Alice Cooper among others. Yet lest you think the perfunctory limitations of a biographical documentary are boring, you clearly don't know much about Randi the Great. He carved up a living in magic early on after dropping out of high school to join the Canadian National Exhibition. At the height of his career he was a popular escape artist who would exeunt prison cells, safes and submerged water coffins. In his 30's he became well known as a mentalist though he soured to the idea after other mentalists, showboating evangelists and other "occultists" began using their illusions to fool their audiences. "Magicians are the most honest people in the world. They tell you they're going to fool you, and then they do it," He says while discussing the differences between himself and those who claim supernatural powers.

Uri Geller trying to bend a spoon with his mind.

It was in the 60's that Randi began a second career as a professional skeptic to prevent con artists from exploiting their audiences. Thanks to frequent appearances on television he single-handedly destroyed the reputations of faith healer Peter Popoff and Israeli psychic Uri Geller. It is these rivalries along with Randi punk-ing academia on a regular basis that provide the film with much of its high-drama. Randi would often work with fakes, embark in deep-cover magician espionage and even perpetuate hoaxes in attempts to keep everyone honest. His crusade to expose the fakes not only garnered the attention of cultural icons like Johnny Carson but of Venezuelan performance artist Jose Alvarez who would later become Randi's husband in 2013.

Told with sensitivity and an eye for conflict, An Honest Liar stands as a perfect example of a documentary taking on the personality of its subject. The film digs ever deeper into the motivations of the bristled Randi who by 2014 still had a mind sharper than a German steak knife. Thanks in part to serendipity, the filmmakers are awarded by their persistence with some truly revealing moments. There are some narrative fumbles thanks in part to some truly unexpected revelations. That said, the high-stakes emotions of the last act can't help but feel genuine, even if echos of F for Fake (1973) make it nearly impossible for audiences to suspect foul-play.

Like a diamond in the rough, An Honest Liar is a film that enlivens the documentary film genre while telling the highly entertaining story of an extraordinary life. Meticulously deceitful, playfully intelligent and magically engaging, An Honest Liar shines the light on the dangers of fraud and does so through the granular life of "Randi the Great".

Final Grade: A-