The world is filled with miracles and impressive powers. At least that’s what a lot of people try to convince you of. James “The Amazing” Randi, who started his career as a magician (and did many Houdini tricks), decided to focus on proving that people who bend spoons, faith healers and others dealing with supernatural forces are all scamming people. He doesn’t believe in the paranormal and wants to tell this to everyone willing to listen.
Randi is already 86 and looks like a frail man with a big beard, but he is still travelling the world to give presentations and do book signings. This documentary looks at the life of Randi, but during filming it becomes clear that the man who is trying to unmask the secrets of others has been hiding a big one himself.
Besides Randi many other celebrities are interviewed, including Penn & Teller, Adam Savage from Mythbusters and Alice Cooper, who all talk about their experiences with him. During his career he has proved that many people were faking things, including a TV presenter and Uri Geller (who also agrees to be interviewed). He also has shown that even scientific research about the subject isn’t as good as you’d expect. An Honest Liar is one of those documentaries where time flies while you are watching. Randi always seem in control, until a surprising moment in the film which results in an unexpected ending of the film. It is a fascinating, funny film which shows how easy it is to fool people. An interesting character study well worth watching.
