Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, and Woody Harrelson star as four talented magicians who pull off unbelievable feats that quickly get them on the FBI’s radar. Louis Leterrier directs this illusion-filled caper and brings a star-studded cast together including Michael Caine, Woody Harrelson, Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent to name a few.
Four magicians converge on an ominous New York apartment after receiving mysterious tarot cards, a year later they call themselves the Four Horsemen and are selling out Las Vegas shows sponsored by millionaire Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine). Their final trick in one of their shows seemingly teleports a Frenchman from the Las Vegas stage to his bank in Paris and robs the bank of stacks of euros in its vault. Agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is forced to work alongside Interpol agent Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent) in order to bring them down. But even with the help of magic debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) they struggle to apprehend the Horsemen and are led on a bizarre venture full of unexpected twists and hidden agendas.
“Now You See Me” is a film designed to be a crowd pleaser and that’s exactly what it does. Leterrier’s film doesn’t try to be a high-brow mysterious thriller like “The Prestige'' and instead opts for more mindless fun. The film keeps audiences guessing right up until the final moments, with unexpected twists and turns that you wouldn’t have seen coming from a mile off. Leterrier’s direction, combined with the script from Ed Soloman, Boaz Yakin, and Edward Ricourt, results in the clever execution of a unique and intriguing premise, which, when combined with the dynamic performances, make for a thoroughly entertaining two hours. The entire cast give solid performances, but Woody Harrelson and Morgan Freeman stand out as giving two of the better performances in the film. Harrelson with his eccentric charm as Merritt McKinney who is one of The Four Horsemen, and Freeman gives a reliable performance as Thaddeus Bradley. Although he was woefully underused, Dave Franco manages to deliver a strong performance, especially during the fight scene he shared with Mark Ruffalo. Ruffalo’s performance does come on a little strong at first, but soon mellows into a mostly enjoyable one.
However, “Now You See Me” doesn’t escape from having issues. From the unnecessary romance between Alma Dray and Dylan Rhodes, to the lack of background and motive given to the Horsemen’s actions (except that they come from a mysterious organisation known as the eye) there are definitely things in the film that could’ve been ironed out a little better. But perhaps one of the biggest issues with the film is its ending. While it does a good job in making way for a sequel the ending is nothing short of confusing, and doesn’t serve as good closure for this story or its characters. One of the film’s many twists even goes so far as to make the rest of the film feel like a complete waste of two hours.
Louis Leterrier brings an interesting and mostly entertaining film to audiences with “Now You See Me”, a film that manages to balance spectacle with story but ultimately would have struggled without its talented cast. While the film definitely has its problems, Leterrier crafts a coherent and amusing film that could’ve easily ended up as a tangled mess of illusion that wasted an impressive cast.