Now You See Me, 2013.
Directed by Louis Leterrier.
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mélanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Michael Kelly.
SYNOPSIS:
An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.
A mysterious figure brings together four of the best street magicians (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco). Jump a year later and they are now the Four Horsemen, one of the most popular illusionist acts around. During one of their shows in Vegas they use one of their illusions to actually rob a bank. This brings in FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol detective Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent) to find out just how they were able to pull this off. Even with the help of former magician Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) the task of taking down these illusionists remains difficult but Rhodes must figure out their secret before he can stop them from succeeding.
For me, Now You See Me ended up being one of the most entertaining films I’ve seen so far this year. From the trailers it certainly looked like it was going to be pretty good but it ended up being one of those films that surpasses your expectations and just entertains you throughout. Everything was working right for me making this a really fun summer film and a surprising blockbuster.
First off the cast here is terrific. All four of our magicians do a great job and director Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) makes sure to give each of them their own moments to shine. The real star here is Mark Ruffalo who ends up being the main character more so than the magicians. He does a really good job and he is consistently making me like him more with each film. Elsewhere in the cast we have Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine who are always great in everything. Caine doesn’t show up much but does a good job with what he has but Freeman really gets a chance to shine and give a very fun performance.
The film moves at such a quick pace. It’s constantly jumping from scene to scene so you don’t really get to know much about each individual character but you get to learn enough to make you care about them. All of the scenes involving magic are pretty spectacular. You get a real sense that these people really are magicians and illusionists, all of the special effects that go with their tricks look great as well. There are even a few great action scenes, one involving a car chase that is pretty fun to watch.
While the film is very fun and entertaining it does have a few downsides. The character Alma Dray really didn’t need to be here and doesn’t really add much more than being an obvious red herring. Now the big thing that brings down the film somewhat is the final plot twist we get at the end. When they finally reveal who it is that brought our magicians together it’s just ridiculous who it ends up being. Not only is it ridiculous but it also kind of contradicts some things that happen earlier in the film.
Now You See Me is extremely fun and entertaining. It’s the perfect kind of summer film, one that doesn’t get too overcrowded with specials effects and just let’s you sit back and have a good time. Other than that final plot twist everything else works really well and is sure to make you have a good time.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Jake Peffer
Originally published June 11, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
