Review of Now You See Me (2013) by Thegodfatherson — 30 May 2013

You can get some "wow" moments from Now You See Me but limited amount. It's not Ocean's Eleven or Tower Heist. It's a heist movie with wow moments and magicians. Now You See Me was directed by Louis Leterrier, the filmmaker responsible for the European pop-art hit The Transporter as well as The Incredible Hulk and the Clash of the Titans remake. The film’s magician caper/heist storyline which was engineered by Boaz Yakin (Prince of Persia) and relative newcomer Edward Ricourt works in unison with Leterrier’s fine knowledge of cinematic technique. This gives rise to an interesting subtext about the enduring “magic” of movies, the purpose of art as entertainment, and the heightened importance of creative integrity in an age where cynical skepticism sells. Because of that, Now You See Me isn’t so much a character study one set in the world of magicians as Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige; instead, it approaches related subject matter from a very different angle and proves equally successful in certain regards. Leterrier’s film trades in the nihilism of The Prestige in favor of hopefulness and shows how referencing “movie magic” can be captivating; that is, without either coming off as self-congratulatory or waxing nostalgic about film artistry in an on-the-nose manner.

That’s to say: if you’re interested in a suave demonstration of cinematic showmanship (no more, but no less) via a thrill-ride movie featuring devious (yet charming) magic performers, then you might want to consider giving this one a look.