Smug and stylish

Rating: 7/10 (11 July 2013)

"The closer you look the less you'll see," is the tagline for this stylish, superficial crime caper from director Louis Leterrier, whose previous directorial credits include the Edward Norton "Incredible Hulk," and "Clash of the Titans." Well I'm not sure what the tagline is getting at, other than a possibly general warning about magicians. The plot is a lot of smoke and mirrors, rather like the tricks the magicians play, and apart from the major twist near the end, is confusing. It was all rather like "Ocean's Eleven" but with a weaker cast. Having said that, the script was pretty good and the actors carried it off very well, Woody Harrelson probably being the best of them. Jesse Eisenberg brought the same smug confidence he brought to "The Social Network," Morgan Freeman was excellent, as ever, but Michael Caine was underused. The tricks themselves were impressive, until you remember that Hollywood can do anything with special effects anyway. There looks as though there may be a sequel, but I'm not sure I will bother with it. "Now You See Me," won't trouble the Academy when they dole out the Oscars, but it's worth an evening of your time if you are at a loose end.