Review of Now You See Me (2013) by Moviemikereview — 05 Jun 2013

There are many things that movies do well and a handful of things that translate poorly onto film. Stage magic falls into the latter category. The spectacle of movie magic delivered by skilled editors and visual effects artists overshadows a sleight-of-hand trick of pulling a rabbit out of a hat or sawing a lady in half. When movie magic can bring to life superheroes, distant planets, and creatures of the deep, the ability for an actor to guess a card out of a deck of 52 seems rather muted. The allure of stage magic is not in the act, but rather in the act occurring right under your very nose. Thus the task when creating a movie about magic is to make a movie that is about more than just magic. In this, Now You See Me is successful; creating a story that is entertaining enough to make you want to believe in the on-screen magic.

The thriller from Louis Leterrier Film Review Now You See Me delivers fast paced action sequences, clever dialogue, and its fair share of twists and gotchas. Now You See Me centers around four magicians: J. Daniel Atlas, a showman played by Jessie Eisenberg; Merritt McKinney, an aged mentalist played by Woody Harrelson; Jack Wilder, a pickpocket played by Dave Franco (yes James’ little brother), and Isla Fisher plays Henley Reeves, a former magician’s assistant turned daring escape artist. The four illusionists are joined through a mysterious figure in a gray hoodie and the financial backing of shady businessman, Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine) to form one of Las Vegas’ biggest acts, the Four Horsemen.

The Four Horsemen’s first act is the seemingly impossible act of robbing a bank in Paris while performing at the MGM Grand on the Vegas strip. Enter the authorities led by FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent), who are befuddled and hard-pressed to arrest the group for an act that couldn’t possibly have happened. The duo, out of their element, enlists the help of world-renowned magic debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) to expose the Four Horsemen.

The film continues with the Four Horsemen performing even more elaborate heists in the same vein as the Ocean’s 11 franchise in a race to stay one step ahead of Agent Rhodes and the rest of the police force tasked to bring them to justice. Here Leterrier finds a way to mask the fact that none of the actors are trained magicians by filming the performances in a fun, whimsical manner. The heists are detailed and complex enough to keep the audience engaged while remaining just plausible enough to not overwhelm one’s ability to suspend disbelief.

Perhaps the most remarkable element of the heists is that the Four Horsemen keep none of the cash for themselves. This fact leads into an even more elaborate side plot involving secret societies, a mysterious murder, and possibly the existence of real magic. Now You See Me encourages the audience to “come in close, because the more you think you see the easier it will be to fool you.” Thaddeus Bradley’s words ring true. Despite my best efforts I was unable to predict the movie’s inevitable big reveal.