Predictable Yet Entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (12 August 2013)

This Magic meets Danny Ocean movie certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat. And though some may find the plot convoluted or characters underdeveloped, I found the movie to be fast paced and entertaining.
Synopsis: A team of Magicians who calls themselves The Four Horseman pulls off a series of flashy heists, thereby being chased by the FBI and Interpol. As FBI agent Dylan (Ruffalo) and Interpol officer Dray (Melanie) begin tracking them, they start to suspect that something bigger might be at play behind these flashy heists.
Plotwise, I could predict almost all of the twists (movie is full of it), and was even able to circle out the mysterious Fifth Horseman. But I admit the final twist was really cool and unpredictable.
Almost all the characters were quite good, but my favorite character from the movie was Jack Wilder (Dave Franco). The one scene where Wilder fights FBI agent Dylan was nothing short of exceptional. My other favorite would be McKinney (Woody Harrelson). His wise-cracking mentalist persona was quite entertaining. The only actor whose talent was under tapped was Michael Caine. His role was too short and could have been easily done by any other actor.
The soundtrack of the movie was good and matched seamlessly with the heists. The pace of the movie does get a bit slow towards the end of the movie, but the surprise ending more than makes up for it.
This movie is no 'Prestige' or 'Illusionist', but it holds its own. If you are expecting some sort of character development or serious drama, be warned its not that kind of movie. In fact, lack of character development is what keeps the pace of this movie fast. Possibly one of the better heist movies in recent times, it's meant to be enjoyed and not pondered upon.