Now You See Me
Starring: Jesse Einsenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Melanie Laurent
Directed By: Louis Leterrier
Reviewed by Danielle Muir
[rating: 4/5]
Hello, audience. Look at Jessie Eisenberg. Now back to me. Now back at Woody Harrelson, now back to me. Sadly, they aren’t George Clooney, but because they keep using delicious sarcasm and entertaining rivalries they’re just as entertaining. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re on building with four magicians giving cops the flick. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s a jaded Mark Ruffalo holding dollar bills stolen from the bank you use. Look again, the bills are now Morgan Freeman. Anything is possible when your director decides to bring a little magic instead of clashing some titans.
No, Old Spice man doesn’t make a cameo but his monologue nicely sums up the tone of Now You See Me, Louis Leterrier’s latest apology for Clash of the Titans. We’re in Vegas, then Paris, then Vegas, someone disappears, Jesse Eisenberg narks, it all happens at a very quick pace but where we end up is certainly not where we expect. (It’s not on a horse).
Now You See Me smacks us with the young, rock-star side of Las Vegas magic ala Eisenberg, Fisher, Harrelson and Franco’s band illusionists ala Chris Angel. Brought together by mysterious ‘real magic’ group The Eye, the ‘Four Horsemen’ perform tricks to adoring audiences which quite often revolve around pitching pennies and distributing amongst the folk. Add an epic police spearheaded by frustrated cop Dylan Rhodes (Ruffalo) gunning for the foursome breakneck speed and you have a very entertaining piece here.
Sure it’s a tad superficial (there’s more glitter than character development) but it seems to realize its purpose and instead, entertain us with some wonderful tricks and illusions. Some of which really do make you scratch your head in wonderment. Whilst some obviously CGI’d trickery comes off very naff, most of the major tricks the four perform are backed up by a later revealed method which is thrilling.
The cast seem to be enjoying themselves immensely, and the four leads have great chemistry (this reviewer’s not the biggest Isla Fisher fan but she doesn’t screw up completely…). Eisenberg is very watchable as the narky teen icon we’ve come to know, and Harrelson’s particularly hilarious as a gifted wisecracking clairvoyant after a piece of Fisher’s tail. Franco rounds them out as the loveable rookie.
Now You See Me is a great film, if you sit back and let it entertain you. Pick it to pieces and I’m sure there are gaping holes but just do yourself a favour, and don’t.
P.S. The inevitable twist at the end packs a fair and unexpected punch. Well done for rising above mediocrity.
