Nolan-esque spectacle. Illusion, crime & superb cast.

Rating: 7/10 (22 July 2013)

Some people spend the duration of magic shows trying to spot the sleight of hand, to work out how the magician fools the rest of the audience; others sit back and allow themselves to be amazed by the illusions; a few convince themselves from the outset that all magic is genuine, that they are in the presence of a miracle worker and the naysayers be damned. Audiences will inevitably approach Now You See Me in much the same fashion, and that will have some bearing on how much they enjoy it.
Take heed: don't think; just roll with it.
Four magicians each receive a mysterious tarot card invitation to an address that holds secrets and a challenge. The reward is membership of the exclusive, perhaps mythical, magic circle known as The Eye. A year later, rebranded as The Four Horseman, they perform a spectacular sell-out show in Las Vegas that culminates with an apparent bank robbery and redistributing the cash to their audience. Is it magic or just a remarkable illusion? FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) regards it as nothing more than an elaborate crime and launches an aggressive hunt for the truth to expose and capture the Four Horsemen.
Though Now You See Me lacks the drama of Christopher Nolan's The Prestige, it's a thrilling romp that begs to be seen at least twice; once for the spectacle, twice for clearer understanding. It's no mindbender, like Inception, but is a thoroughly enjoyable romp that will keep some people guessing. The biggest surprise is that it comes from Louis Leterrier, the director of clunking bombs The Incredible Hulk and Clash of the Titans. Who'd have thought?
Take the bling and blast of David Copperfield (who is credited as the inspiration), give it a screenplay with some criminal zing and what would once have been known as an all-star cast and that's pretty much Now You See Me. Dave younger-brother-of-James Franco holds his own as street illusionist Jack Wilder against the 'above the title' star power of Woody Harrelson (Merritt McKinney), Jesse Eisenberg (J. Daniel Atlas) and Isla Fisher (Henley Reeves) as the Four Horsemen. There's very little in the way of character development but this isn't that kind of film. This is a movie where the stars play second fiddle to the spectacle and the quips, snaps and asides to each other are seasoning to the visual feast.
Now You See Me feels like a Nolan film (though he appears not to have been involved) in tone, character and casting choices, not least of all for the double act of Michael Caine as Arthur Tressler, multi-millionaire financier of The Four Horsemen, and Morgan Freeman as Thaddeus Bradley, the debunker of all things illusory. But it never feels like a rip-off because of it, more a case of beneficial influence.
It's difficult to pick out a performance that overshadows all others here because Now You See Me is a superb ensemble piece that deserves to be seen for the grand scale. I'm not claiming it's a modern classic, nor that it will feature in the top ten at the end of the year, but like last year's Chronicle it's stomping good fun and a flick worth having on the hard drive for one of those evenings that require a beer, feet up and a small amount of thought without the need for pure reality.
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