Review of An Honest Liar (2014) by Byron B — 10 Oct 2015

Magic and illusion work have a big part in human history. For centuries, people have claimed to bear magical powers, see into the future, and use mind control. As early as the 1400's, there have been professional illusionists that traveled around doing tricks. Some of them did it to entertain, others were scam artists who did so for money, fame, and to promote religion. "An Honest Liar'' is a documentary on he life and work of magician, James Randi.

Since the Great "Harry'' Houdini, magic has become a popular par of culture. Nowadays, we all know it's fake, cheap tricks. However, in the past, people were easily fooled. They thought it was real magic. Not surprisingly, today there are still poor old saps who are fooled by slight of hand and tricks. You'd think we'd grow up and realize the truth, but the human mind is and always will be, susceptible to trickery. Men like Houdini knew this, and while he preformed magic tricks, he also set out to expose frauds. This film centers of the life and work of James Randi. As a young boy, Randi was delighted by magic tricks. He was so enthralled, he wanted to become a magician when he grew up. He wanted to be better than Houdini, and even outdo some of his most popular tricks. Another life goal of Randi's was to expose religious and illusionist frauds.

Part of this fantastic documentary discusses religious frauds, namely "tent'' or "faith'' healers. Peter Popoff is one of the villains Randi took on during the 80's. Popoff proclaimed to be a faith healer with a direct line to god. Hundreds and hundreds of people would travel from all over the U.S. to witness these events. As a skeptic, Randi was extremely doubtful of Popoff's tent rallies. So, he and a friend decided to go to one of the prayer events. They discovered Popoff's trickery, and exposed him on national television. Popoff soon went into bankruptcy, and vocalized his hatred for Randi.

Another target of Randi was a man named, Uri Geller. Geller was mentalist, a person who claims they possess mental powers. Geller often came onto talks shows to show off his "powers''. Geller bent spoons and did others tricks, claiming to use his mind and not cheap magic tricks. He even promulgated these lies to actual scientists, and they believed him. Naturally, Randi was infuriated that someone like this could fool others, and even deceive professionals. When Randi tried to expose Geller, the reactions were terrible! People were upset and expressed hate towards Randi. To this day, Geller still lies to people about his "powers'', despite the fact that he has been exposed. I think he's a magician in his own way, but unlike honest liars, he does not tell people, "yeah this is all bullshit.''.

Finally, this brilliant documentary delves into the personal life of James Randi. As some of you may or may not know, Randi was and is a homosexual. The film focuses on this a bit, particularly on his relationship with Deyvi Orangel Peña Arteaga. This part of the film is very emotional, and Randi opens up about these very personal matters.

"An Honest Liar'' is a masterful documentary from beginning to end. It's insightful, energetic, and emotional.