Now You See Me

Magic can create a sense of wonder and awe in people by turning the unimaginable into reality. It’s a spectacle that requires an open mind and a little faith in the performers. Now You See Me is the exact same in that you have to suspend your disbelief for the sake of entertainment.

A group of illusionists known as the Four Horsemen have devised the grandest of all illusions in the world in an effort to join a secret sect known only as “The Eye.” Each one of them possesses a unique skill set that will allow them to pull off the greatest heist in history.

The sell-appointed leader of the Horsemen is the arrogant J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) and excels with card tricks. He is joined by his old assistant and escape artist extraordinaire Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and sleight of hand expert Jack Wilder (Dave Franco). Mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) is the fourth and final Horsemen.

The first act of their devious plan involves robbing a bank of $3 million in France from their show stage in Vegas. Naturally it catches the attention of the FBI who attempts to end their little charade and put them behind bars before things escalate. To the dismay of agent Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), they unfortunately don’t have any idea how they could have pulled off such a stunt and it quickly turns into a cat and mouse game between law enforcement and the magicians.

Now You See Me initially creates the same wonder and awe you would find watching any live magic performance. The setup of the Four Horsemen is absolutely spectacular and the robbing on the bank in France is difficult to top. It’s for that reason that the following two acts, including the grand finale, don’t quite live up to the spectacle of the first. They’re decent, but the Four Horsemen appear to have played their best hand first.

In addition to Eisenberg, Fisher, Harrelson, Franco, and Ruffalo, the film also features the likes of Michael Caine as millionaire Arthur Tressler and Morgan Freeman as magic debunker Thaddeus Bradley. It’s such a strong and talented cast, although they unfortunately aren’t used to their full potential. There are some defining moments of the film, such as Daniel Atlas’ interrogation scene with agent Rhodes or when Tressler confronts Bradley in an effort to keep his magicians’ secrets underwraps, but these are few and far between. Now You See Me instead focuses on quick cutting action chase sequences that are entertaining, but could have edited down for more direct confrontations.

There’s little left to the imagination in Now You See Me. The illusions themselves are good, but don’t have any lasting effect. The amazement of the film leaves as quickly as it comes. Director Louis Leterrier can direct a decent action sequence, but struggles when it comes to telling an amazing story. Because of that, Now You See Me loses some of its magic.