Now You See Me, directed by Louis Leterrier, has some similarities to Ocean's Eleven or The Italian Job. The actual magic tricks aren't a big part of the movie. Most of it is the interrogating and figuring out the tricks. My summary is going to be short because I can't give any of the twists away.
The movie starts out with introducing the audience to the magicians: Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher). All of them are being watched by a mysterious man in a hoodie and they all receive a tarot card that tells them a time and place to meet up.
They all show up at the location thinking they would be the only one and surprised to find the others there. We find out that Henley used to be Daniel's assistant and he still treats her like that. He's actually a huge jerk, which is what I imagine most magicians to be like. Anyway, they can't get into the apartment that they showed up at until Jack gets there and picks the lock. Once inside, they find this elaborate setup that sets them up as a team.
The next scene takes place a year later in Las Vegas, where they are performing their first show. They have decided to call themselves The Four Horsemen. In this show, they randomly pick someone from the audience and rob his bank in Paris. Then give the money to the people in the audience. Obviously, they are arrested the next day for this. The FBI agent put on the case is Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo). He is partnered up with a woman from Interpol named Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent) and they don't necessarily get along that great at first.
The interrogations don't go that well. They can't hold them without saying that they actually believe they somehow magically robbed the bank in Paris. So they have to let them walk. Of course, they manage to get tickets to the next show in New Orleans - which is sold out after people have heard these magicians give out money to the audience. I don't want to say much about what happens in this show because I don't want to give anything away.
But before the New Orleans show, they meet up with Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), who was filming the Las Vegas show and plans on debunking them. It's from talking to him that they figure out how they pulled off their little trick in Vegas. He also goes to New Orleans to watch what they do there. Thaddeus has made a career out of showing how magicians do their tricks.
You see Alma really wants to believe in magic. She does a lot of research on what the Four Horseman are and some history of magic tricks. She's trying to figure out what is driving these guys to do what they are doing. Dylan and Alma think that The Four Horsemen are working with someone else. A fifth Horseman, if you will. But they can't figure out who it is.
There is another show in New York after New Orleans. And there are several things that I didn't see coming that happen along the way there. The end of the movie really threw me for a loop. My boyfriend said it didn't surprise him though. But that's all I can say on that.
Now You See Me was very well done. It had a lot of big names and they delivered. I've had a crush on Mark Ruffalo since Just Like Heaven and I still have a crush on him after this movie. Morgan Freeman will always be one of my favorites too. And I have a lady crush on Isla Fisher. And Dave Franco? He's adorable. This is only the second movie I have seen him in but I think he is just as talented as his brother.
My favorite character in this movie was Alma. She had a bit of a romantic personality, I think. The contrast between her and Dylan was perfect. He was hard and logical and she was big hearted and almost whimsical about some stuff. Loved their character chemistry.
I strongly recommend this movie to everyone. I think that it's something that most people will enjoy.
I give it a 10 out of 10.
Thanks for reading! =)
WOOOOOO!!!!!!
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