Rated
PG-13 (Language, Some Action and Sexual Content)
Running
Time: 1 Hour & 56 Minutes
Cast-
Jesse
Eisenberg-J. Daniel Atlas
Woody
Harrelson-Merritt McKinney
Isla
Fisher-Henley Reeves
Dave
Franco-Jack Wilder
Mark
Ruffalo-FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes
Mélanie
Laurent-Interpol Agent Alma Dray
Morgan
Freeman-Thaddeus Bradley
Michael
Caine-Arthur Tressler
Lonnie
Rashid Lynn, Jr./Common-FBI Agent Evans
Michael
J. Kelly-FBI Agent Fuller
David
Warshofsky-Cowan
Jessica
Lindsey-Hermia
José
Garcia-Etienne Forcier
Conan
O'Brien-As Himself
Directed
by Louis Leterrier
 |
| Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco play magicians/thieves in Louis Leterrier's "Now You See Me." |
Note: Screened on Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at AMC Loews 34th Street 14.
I've
always been a fan of magicians and it would appear that Hollywood is too as
less than three months after the release of "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone,"
we have a second film dealing with master
illusionists: Louis Leterrier's "Now You See Me." From "30 Rock"
alum Don Scardino, "Burt Wonderstone" was a silly, irreverent comedy
that frequently lampooned the gaudy world of Las Vegas magicians while
"Now You See Me" is more of a caper/heist thriller along the lines of
Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean" films. Leterrier, who made his debut with
2002's "The Transporter" starring Jason Statham, was formerly part of
the 'Besson stable'—a group of filmmakers whose work was produced or associated
with Luc Besson. The French director finally struck out on his own when he signed
on to helm 2008's "The Incredible Hulk," the second of what would become
the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although the film was good, there wasn't anything
unique about Leterrier's directing style. It's appropriately slick and flashy, both
of which are apt descriptors for his latest feature. Aspiring to be nothing
more than breezy summer entertainment, "Now You See Me" doesn't hold
up to close scrutiny but its rapid-fire dialogue, pitch-perfect pacing, and game
cast turn this film into a surprisingly fun ride.
Cocky
street magician J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody
Harrelson), escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and small-time trickster
Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) are summoned to an abandoned apartment in New York
City by a mysterious benefactor. A year later, the quartet has reinvented
themselves as 'The Four Horsemen' under the sponsorship of wealthy insurance magnate
Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine). Performing to a sold-out show in Las Vegas,
the Horsemen boldly announce that their final act will be to rob a bank. After
randomly choosing an audience member and learning the location of his bank, the
four illusionists seemingly teleport him to a bank vault in Paris containing $3.2
million Euros. An air-duct in the ceiling then vacuums up the money and showers
it onto the cheering crowd. FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is assigned
to investigate the theft and is paired up with a rookie Interpol agent named Alma
Dray (Mélanie Laurent). As the Four Horsemen take their increasingly high-stakes
show across the country, Rhodes and Dray try to stay one step ahead of them
with the help of smug magic debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman).
"Now
You See Me" is pretty much an exercise in misdirection, with Louis Leterrier
employing witty dialogue, fast cutting, and swooping camera angles to distract
viewers from its screenplay deficiencies. Going in, I didn't really have any expectations
for this film but I was pleasantly surprised with the end result. Let's not kid
ourselves here; the script from Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin, and Edward Ricourt is
often needlessly convoluted with plot holes the size of an airplane and yet the
film is not only fun but dare I say, even exhilarating thanks to its energetic pacing
and Brian Tyler's upbeat score. In a way, it reminds me of "Fast and
Furious 6" because it has no other pretensions besides being a breezy
summer popcorn flick. To that end, the story is populated with smug, over-confident
characters and one of the great joys of watching this film is seeing the Four
Horsemen run circles around the authorities who are chasing them. Rhodes'
frustration is a constant source of amusement and there's a particularly memorable
scene where he ends up being tackled by audience members hypnotized by Merritt
into thinking they're football players. The FBI agent's humiliation continues during
a rather inventive fight scene with Franco's Jack Wilder, who pulls off a cavalcade
of disappearing acts and disorients him by throwing flash paper at his face.
Compared to Scardino's "Burt Wonderstone," most of the magic acts depicted
here have no basis in reality and are obviously enhanced with CG. While some
critics have taken offense to this, I'm actually fine with this approach because
it's not meant to be a true-to-life look at stage magic. Leterrier simply uses
it as a hook to enliven a run-of-the-mill heist thriller.
As
enjoyable as "Now You See Me" is, the script does have its problems (besides
the ones I already mentioned). The film can never quite decide who its protagonists
should be, with the Four Horsemen increasingly pushed aside in favor of the
less interesting Rhodes and Dray. Even more head-scratching is the 'romance' that's
forced upon them and its inclusion reeks of studio mandate. The Horsemen
themselves remain little more than ciphers and the story takes a hokey turn
when a mysterious organization of magicians called 'The Eye' is introduced but
their purpose remains vague and undefined. When the final twist is revealed,
you can't help feeling somewhat letdown due to how uninspiring it is. Still, I doubt
these issues will matter to most viewers. Like James Berardinelli says, it's 'more
about the journey than the destination' for these types of films.
A
big part of the film's success lies in the impressive ensemble cast that Leterrier
has assembled. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson are by far the stand-outs.
Not only is their back-and-forth banter fun to watch but their cocksure, cavalier
attitudes toward Ruffalo's Rhodes leads to some unexpected laughs during their
individual interrogation scenes. Harrelson in particular seems to be having a ball
as the wisecracking McKinney, although his abilities as a mentalist often border
on being a superpower. The same attention isn't paid to Isla Fisher and Dave
Franco as both of them are unfortunately marginalized. They don't even have
their own interrogation scenes. Mark Ruffalo is fine as the haggard law
enforcement officer being led on a merry chase but his pairing with the beautiful
Mélanie Laurent ends up being a total bust. The two lack chemistry, with Laurent
given little to do besides being the token love interest. Forming a
mini-"Dark Knight" reunion, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman lend gravitas
even though their roles amount to collecting a paycheck.
Released
on May 31, 2013, "Now You See Me" has garnered mixed reviews with 43%
on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics complained that the film's 'thinly sketched characters
and scattered plot rely on directorial sleight of hand to distract audiences—and
director Louis Leterrier lacks sufficient cinematic prestidigitation to pull it
off in the final act.' The audience at Tuesday's advance screening thought differently
and it appears that the film is poised to become a surprise sleeper hit, beating
out M. Night Shyamalan's "After Earth," which stars the one and only
Will Smith. "Now You See Me" makes no attempt to hide the fact that
it's meant to be a fun lark, a harmless piece of summer entertainment. Although
the story is ultimately a whole bunch of nonsense, there's never a dull moment
and I'm not embarrassed to recommend the film despite its less-than-favorable
reception.
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
"First
rule of magic: always be the smartest person in the room."
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