Now You See Me
Directed by: Louis Leterrier
Written by: Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Mélanie Laurent and Michael Caine

Now You See Me is an over-the-top heist film that employs an atypical gimmick: the heisters are master magicians. A group of illusionists are recruited by a mystery figure to perform a series of cons live on stage, right under the audience’s (and the authorities’) noses.

Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) is a magician in the traditional sense, promising us in the opening sequence that the harder we look, the less we will see. Henley (Isla Fisher) is Atlas’s former assistant who specializes in daring escapes, Merritt (Woody Harrelson) is a master hypnotist and mentalist while Jack (Dave Franco) is a glorified pickpocket. The team performs on stage at a Vegas venue under the moniker of “The Four Horsemen”.  Their first stunt is to rob a bank in Paris and shower the audience with the rewards of their spoil.

Enter FBI agent Dylan (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma (Mélanie Laurent) who try (and fail miserably) to stay a step ahead of the team and their increasingly elaborate stunts. As the film progresses, it becomes apparent that there is an ulterior motive underlying the stunts, keeping the audience guessing until a final big reveal.

Morgan Freeman plays a shady character that has made a living debunking and deconstructing some of the world’s best illusions, and it’s difficult to ascertain whether or not he is helping or hindering the investigation. Arthur (Michael Caine) has the deep pockets required to fund The Four Horsemen’s stage show.

There’s not a shred of plausibility in the plot, but the film makes for perfectly suitable popcorn escapism. The sheer spectacle and fanfare behind the early stunts is energetic and entertaining. Director Louis Leterrier (The Transporter, Clash of the Titans) strategically uses CGI to enhance some of the bigger set pieces. But like many films, the second half can’t hold up to the lively first half and the pace slows considerably, especially when we are subjected to the weak romantic subplot between Dylan and Alma. The two evoke little heat and their scenes prove clunky and unconvincing.

On the other hand, the rest of the cast gels nicely. Eisenberg draws on the cocky demeanor he exhibited so well in The Social Network, and Harrelson excels in another eccentric character role.

When all is said and done, Now You See It is just another take on Ocean’s Eleven. It might not be as smart as its predecessor, but it’s an awful lot of fun. – Shannon

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