I have written my review here but there is more from others in the review request thread...
http://www.paulbrook.co.uk/heknows/youknowwho.htm
They say:
A single card is removed from the wallet of the performer.
The card contains five Polaroid photographs each of a different person; their faces have been blacked out. One of these five people has committed a bank robbery.
Is it possible for your volunteer to correctly name the culprit?
Could they be influenced to select the criminal?
The volunteer is asked to look over the five suspects and name the guilty party. This is a 100% free choice and no equivoque or verbal subterfuge is used in this truly free selection.
Once the selection is made the performer smiles wryly and proceeds to proves that the selected person is in fact the robber.
Besides proving that the volunteer is correct, the performer can also explain exactly how the volunteer was influenced in his/her choice!
This effect is an ideal way to explain the power/process of influence.
Works 100% of the time!
No other objects are needed other than the You Know Who card.
A very strong piece of mentalism that you can carry EVERYWHERE!
I say:
Well, Paul Brook knows how to make up some seriously intriguing mentalism products. Following the release of his Thought Reader Card, Paul has offers us his “You Know Who Card”.
As you can see from the description this is a single “credit card size”, laminated card that allows you to perform a “
psychological influence” demonstration/routine. This is a one-on-one effect.
The artwork on the card is very well done. It seems Paul has (once again) brought to bear the results and observations from his development and extensive “field-testing” of the effect to produce a most efficient and useful series of graphics to achieve “what needs to be done”. The illustrations on the card are just that, drawn illustrations and some people may feel it is a bit “prop-y” but if presented in the context of “
a visual example of the techniques used to influence people” I think its manufactured look can be justified.
The instructions and guidelines are comprehensive to say the least! You will get the card in a tidy little envelope with instructions allowing you to download the support material from an online location. Paul outlines how the routine plays out, the basics of the workings and a script for every “eventuality”.
It must be clear that this is NOT a magic or out-and-out mentalism effect per say. This is a means of being able to illustrate the effect of how a person can be subtly “influenced”, by a number of factors, to arrive at a pre-determined and specific selection. Paul has made sure that one can perform this, every time, without quibble or vagueness. You will need to remember a series of details and ways of describing things but this is no hardship and Paul’s documentation gives you all you need to know and more.
This is a good ice breaker for close up performers who present their mentalism performances with a “psychological influence” approach. This is not a show stopper or closer but rather a (technically) foolproof, plausible convincer for the premise of an “influence” set.
The workings and thoughts behind “You Know Who” are very clever indeed. Some serious thought and work has gone into the card, graphics, support materials… the whole thing really, and the product is first rate. You will need to practice your presentation and get your approach and scripting straight in your own head to make the most of the wealth of material within this modest card. Embrace the premise fully; practice and you will have a really strong starting point for your “mental influence” performances.
If we can hit that bullseye then the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards... Checkmate!