Where magic and reality collides

Rating: 7/10 (24 August 2013)

I was always amazed by magic tricks when I was little (OK, I still am - I like magic, OK?). Heck, I even had books on how to perform magic tricks and illusions. but after a while I stopped doing them because I realized how much I have to prepare for them.
The movie shows some of the work that magicians do, but of course this movie takes four magicians from a level of entertainers to a level of vigilantes or Robin Hoods or maybe even personal avengers (depends how you see it, but all of these apply). The storyline is that four illusionists are lead together to a room where they find blueprints for the best show ever. So they become the Four Horsemen and start doing the show (after a year of preparation of course). The thing is, they capture FBI and Interpol's attention because during their first part of the show (show is from three parts) they rob a bank. How did they do it? Well, you could say magic, but let's not forget that this is a movie about illusionist and as I said before, illusions need preparations.
The whole movie is really fast pace, which you would not expect from a movie about magicians. Actually, the camera was moving so fast you could feel that you're running alongside FBI and Interpol. There are a lot of wide shots here as well because illusions are best performed when audience views them from afar. Of course, there are always those who still are very attentive because they want to know how tricks are performed. One of those people is Thaddeus Bradley and he is the one who seems to best understand how everything is performed. He also brings the concept of the Eye - a league of magicians and illusionist who with their illusions try to level the scale between rich and poor (what did I say? Robin Hoods). And apparently he is right about everything (even about that he was framed).
The movie is mesmerizing and the change of characters gets you going (not to mention the beautifully performed tricks) and you don't even notice that it's the end of the movie. For me the end was surprising and a bit disappointing. Yes, I loved that there was that plot twist that the fifth Horseman was the FBI agent (I thought it was the Interpol agent). But I did not like that he was also the leader of the EYE and that he had to come back for the French girl. He could have left her a message, explaining how the tricks are connected. The Eye could have been left a mysterious faceless league, it would have been more mysterious and I guess then more people would actually start believing that something like that might exist. But that's just my opinion.
I just think some things are better left unexplained.