Now You See Me (2013)

Now You See Me, 2013. Film. Directed by Louis LETERRIER.
USA: Summit Entertainment

Now You See Me tells the story of four street magicians brought together by an unknown benefactor to pull off a series of outstanding heists disguised as magic shows. Comparing this film to Ocean’s Eleven would be over selling it but it does have a similar vibe.

The street magicians, also known as The Four Horsemen, consist of the successful magician J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), the mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), the escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and the pickpocket Jack Wilder (Dave Franco). Each of the characters are interesting and loveable modern-day Robin Hoods and, although a little underused, the all-star cast perform as amazingly as I’d hoped. They all work very well on their own and with the rest of the cast and really help to make this film fun, cheerful and a real pleasure to watch.

The overall plot of Now You See Me is slightly unstable but the film is a lot of fun. It's just clever enough to keep you guessing with enough minor reveals to hold its audience’s interest up until the very end where the truth is revealed. I enjoyed the twist as it wasn’t as predictable as you might expect however I have read many reviews where people weren’t so impressed and I believe that how you react to the end twist is likely to define what you think of the movie in its entirety. It is debatable that prestidigitation is best kept as a live experience as the stable focus of a camera makes misdirection very difficult but director Louis Leterrier has found a way to turn illusions, sleight of hand, magic tricks and mirrors into an exciting cinematic experience. The film isn’t perfect but Now You See Me manages to put pieces together in a way that is undoubtedly satisfying.

Now You See Me is a film packed with so many possibilities that when it wastes a few, you really don’t care and you soon forget about the missed opportunities as you begin to learn not to believe everything you see. As a whole, this film has its flaws. There is a romance subplot that seems almost unnecessary but it’s cute enough to appreciate. There’s a weak script and the plot doesn’t always make sense if you start to think about it too much but when it ends you’d be more than happy to watch it again. It is a really enjoyable experience as long you’re not looking for anything mind-blowing and you don’t try to analyse it. As the film repeatedly reminds us “The closer you think you are, the less you will actually see.”

Recommend to: Fans of heist movies

                             Fans of the cast

                             Anyone looking for something entertaining, exciting but nothing that takes itself too seriously