| Director | Andrew O'Connor |
|---|---|
| Genre | comedy film |
| Runtime | 90 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Box office | $1.8 million |
Best friends Harry Kane and Karl Allen are magicians who perform together in a successful and popular double act, with Harry's wife Carol working as their assistant. Harry and Karl's partnership collapses after a show when Harry discovers Karl and Carol having sex backstage. During their next performance, Carol is placed in a guillotine for the finale, but the blade unexpectedly falls and kills her. Whether Harry caused the accident or it was a tragic malfunction remains unclear, but the act dissolves and the two men become bitter enemies.
Four years later, Harry has abandoned show business and works unhappily in a Wilkinson hardware store, where he is fired after frightening a customer with an overly realistic knife illusion. Karl, meanwhile, is struggling to reinvent himself as The Mindmonger, a psychological illusionist, but his career is floundering. His only admirer is Dani, a tea girl at a TV studio, whose interest sparks jealousy in Karl's inept agent Otto.
Desperate for money, Harry decides to enter the Magic Shield competition in Jersey, which offers a £20,000 prize. Unable to find a skilled assistant, he reluctantly hires Linda, an old acquaintance whose only talent is an awkward dance routine. Realizing he needs a stronger act, Harry swallows his pride and asks Karl to reunite with him. Though their reputation earns them a spot in the competition, their unresolved resentment quickly resurfaces, and they split again to compete separately.
As Harry and Linda rehearse, they grow closer, though Harry's insecurity keeps him from expressing his feelings. Linda discovers the old guillotine among his props and persuades him to use it in the finale, unaware of its history. Karl, meanwhile, is thrilled when Dani travels to Jersey to support him, but panics when he realizes she believes he is a genuine psychic. With a TV producer offering him a potential show, Karl agrees to perform a medium act despite mounting guilt.
When Karl reveals the truth about Carol's death to Linda, Harry mistakenly believes she has fled home and impulsively flies to London—despite his fear of flying—only to learn she simply changed hotel rooms. He rushes back to Jersey in time for the competition, but the revelation strains their relationship. On the night of the finale, Linda falsely claims she slept with another magician to provoke Harry into admitting his feelings, but he remains emotionally closed off. Karl, preparing to sleep with Dani, confesses he is not psychic, and she leaves him feeling betrayed.
Backstage, Karl accuses Harry of murdering Carol. Harry angrily denies it, insisting Karl prefers the accusation to facing his own guilt over the affair. During Karl's performance, his planted audience stooge injures himself, and Karl abandons the act, confessing publicly that he cannot speak to the dead. Dani forgives him for his honesty.
Harry begins his guillotine act as “The Black Widower,” but Linda panics and runs offstage. With the act collapsing, Karl unexpectedly volunteers to take her place. Locked in the guillotine, he admits Carol repeatedly pressured him into affairs and that he was unable to perform when Harry caught them. Harry “decapitates” Karl in a flawless illusion, and Karl emerges unharmed. Harry wins the competition, publicly forgives Karl, and finally admits his love for Linda. Reconciled, Harry and Karl launch a reunion tour with Linda and Dani as their assistants.