Now You See Me Review

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."