Dangerous by Daniel Madison 2 Volume set

Dangerous has landed…

In February 2008 Daniel teamed up with Theory11 to be part of their

biggest project so far where the 2-volume DVD set was born…

Dangerous is one of the most talked about projects of 2008, representing the definitive work of underground magician Daniel Madison – a massive two-disc  DVD anthology of d+M's work, past and present.

Each disk is packed with flawless cardistry, underground magic and boasts over 2 and a half hours of entertainment and a learning experience like no other

The instruction quality is beyond comparison; unparalleled and true to d+M's trademark style. Each flourish is taught with vocal instruction, on-screen text, multiple camera angles, and extra tips shared by Madison

Dangerous – Volume One

Introduction – As i've only had this DVD for a day, this obviously won't be the most in depth review as I have not used any of these effects myself but if you are wondering if the DVD lives up to the hype, do the effects seem to be practical or is it worth the money then hopefully this review will be of some use to you.

I've never been much of a Daniel Madison fan as it always seemed to be that he took himself far too seriously but this DVD did look interesting so I thought i'd take a look at it. Fortunately Daniel was a lot more friendly and down to earth than I thought he would be so my opinion of him has now improved considerably.

Quality – This DVD is shot in in black and white, I wasn't really sure about the black and white but it does look quite nice and makes the DVD a bit different. The filming is great as you can see everything clearly in both the performances and the explanations.

Performances – Most of the effects are performed for a live audience, it's nice to see performances for a real audience in real situations unlike many magic DVD's where there's a single spectator sitting across the table from the magician who is only there because they're being paid.

Difficulty – It is assumed that you have a basic knowledge of card handling such as double lifts, cuts, shuffles etc. While some effects will need a fair amount of practice none of the effects could be described as 'knuckle busting' and appear to be far easier than many of the tricks in the Trilogy, however, while the sleights may not be as difficult you will need better presentation than is necessary for the trilogy as you will need to use misdirection and as the spectators get to touch the cards a lot you will need good audience management.

Effects
Bad Influence – You name a card, e.g. the 2 of hearts. You ask the spectator to go through the deck and pull out the card they think is the 2 of hearts, they hand this card to you. Next, they pass the deck to another spectator and the process is repeated, this is then done again with a third spectator. You turn over the 3 cards in your hand and they are the 3 cards you named. The 3 cards can be examined by the spectator.

This is a very clever use of an old principle, it's fairly easy although it does include a move many people may not be comfortable so that may need a bit of practice. Everything appears very fair as once the deck is handed out to the first spectator you never touch it again and the spectators can examine the cards at the end. There is a small cleanup but there will be no attention on you during it as everyone will be too busy looking at the cards they selected so you can do it very easily.

Aces – The spectator shuffles the deck. You then do a sybil cut and the first ace is left sticking out the deck, the card is then flicked out of the deck (hotshot cut) into your other hand. You then pull the second ace out of your back pocket, next, you show that the deck has vanished leaving just the third ace, the spectators look away for a second and when they look back they see the fourth ace is already on the table with the rest of the aces.

This is a very cool ace production I will definitely be using as soon as i've finished learning it. You may find the production of the first ace difficult if you don't know how to do a sybil cut although it could easily be replaced with a simpler cut. The deck vanish is very deceptive and the misdirection is perfect, i'm quite sure no spectator will see it. It is very similar to a deck vanish used by Derren Brown in the Devil's picturebook but can be unlike the Derren Brown version can be done standing up, it is also much easier.

Angle Zero – A card is selected, you tear a corner of the card. You squeeze the corner and show that it has vanished. The corner reappears in a location of your choice.

This is the effect shown in the preview where the card corner appears on the clock. It is a very interesting method and not something I have come across before. The really great thing about it is that it is the actual corner from the card, not just another one that matches but the real corner. I don't know how often i'll be in a situation where I can perform this but hopefully I will at some point.

Catch – A very flourishy sandwich effect, a card is selected and lost in the deck, you then do a hindu shuffle, the last packet is flipped on to the deck and the selection and 2 aces spin off and land in your other hand.

If you like the flourishy Dan and Dave style effects you'll love this but if you're against displays of skill when doing magic then this one probably isn't for you. The production of the sandwich is very knacky and will take considerable practice but I think it will be worth it. It is very practical and would be great in "Show me a trick" moments.

Colour – A color change inspired by Shapeshifer. You show a card, flick it and it changes.

This is a very visual color change that is similar to the Shapeshifer, it is surprisingly very easy and you should be able to pick it up fairly quickly. There are 2 versions of the change, the first one is best for small groups of people, the second one is for larger audiences. For small groups I think i'll stick with Shapeshifter although I may use the second version as I find that the Shapeshifter change is inappropriate for larger groups.

Half Vanish – A less flourishy sandwich effect. You put 2 aces down on the table then ask a spectator to select a card. You place the card face up on top of the deck and wave your hand over it, the card vanishes and appears between the 2 aces on the table.

A nice sandwich effect, this isn't my favorite effect on the DVD but I will probably use it from time to time. It could be used as a follow up to Catch but works just as well by itself. Annoyingly, the most important move in the whole effect isn't shown during the performance but it is well explained so I guess it doesn't matter, I just don't really like it when artistic decisions in the camera work prevent you from seeing something properly. The vanish of the card is nice and you could probably find many other uses for it even if you don't do this effect.

Heritage – Based on a Darren Brown effect, You bring out 4 cards from a different deck and say they are four cards from a five card poker hand. The spectator shuffles the deck, you then ask them to deal the cards one at a time and stop whenever they like and hand you that card. You show that the cards in the poker hand are the Ace, 2, 4 and 5 of Clubs, you then turn over the spectators selection and it is shown the be the 3 of Clubs.

If you've seen the Derren Brown effect he does in the casino were the spectator chooses the missing card from a poker hand that is nearly the same as Heritage. This is one of my favorite effects on the DVD, the method is quite simple so will allow you to work on your presentation. This is one I will definitely be using.

Lapse – 2 cards are selected and signed. You put one of them in your back pocket, the second is lost in the deck. You then tell the spectator they are going to try and find the second card. You riffle through the cards and ask them to say stop. The card they stop you at is shown to be the first card, this is then left on the table. You take the card out of your back pocket and is shown to also be the first card. The card on the table is then turned over, it is the first card.

A great effect although I don't know that it justifies ruining 2 cards every time, it may be best to use if after you already have 2 signed cards from other effects. An interesting variation on the Riffle force is used that does not require a break. While not appropriate for every situation it is something I think you will find very useful.

Focus – You wave your hand over the card on the face of the deck, it changes, the card is then pulled out of your pocket.

This is a colour change inspired by the Ego / Cardini change that can also be used as a steal. I would probably not use it just for the colour change but as a vanish and reappearance i'm sure you could think of many applications for it.

Roleplay – You spread through the deck and ask a spectator to select a card, it is returned to the deck and lost. You then say that you are going to swap places with the spectator. They spread the cards and you pick one out, it is their selection.

A nice effect that seemed to get a much better reaction from the audience than you might expect, although this is probably because i'm looking at the effect as a magician. It's nothing revolutionary but is practical and has good angles.

Breach – You hold the deck underneath a glass table, the card on the face of the deck penetrates up through the table and then back down again.

You've probably already seen this effect performed as it was released by itself a while ago. It's one of the most practical card through tables i've seen and one of the most convincing as it has no awkward moves. I rarely go anywhere that has glass tables but if I did i'd definitely use this.

The Gamblers Cop – This sleight is used in many of the effects on this DVD and is something you will need to become comfortable using. There is a section at the end of the DVD where Daniel addresses concerns people have about using it. It is never a move I have used much before although I definitely will be in the future.

Conclusion – This is one of the best DVD's I have bought for quite some time, every effect is practical and could be used in the real world. I would like to see more DVD's like this with multiple effects on as opposed to one's with a single trick. It's unbelievable what you're getting for just $30.