Stars Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla FIsher, Dave Franco Mélanie Laurent, Micheal J Kelly with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine Directed by Louis Leterrier I do have a fondness for heist movies. The gathering of oddball individuals, each who have to be part of an intricate plan, the planning itself and not to mention actually pulling off the heist which is usually the fun part of the show. Just to add drama, there might be someone chasing down our 'heroes'. For spice, there might be a twist late in the game and a double cross or two - or three - that you might or might not see coming. That would depend on how formulaic the story / movie would get. And there, of course, the numerous variations on the theme, making it more a con game than an actual heist. Most of them have a sense of fun, particularly delving into the absurd (Who's Minding The Mint? (1967), the original The Italian Job (1969), How To Steal A Million, The Ladykillers (1955), The Lavender Hill Mob (1951), even The Heist (1989 TV movie starring Pierce Brosnan) and The Sting (1973) come to mind). Some of the newer or more current movies also do have the sense of fun, but sometimes get brought down by being 'overloaded' (Ocean's Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen (2001, 2004 and 2007 respectively), The Ladykillers (2004), Tower Heist (2011)) Yes, there are more that I didn't list which are equally fun and cool (Either of The Thomas Crown Affair, The Italian Job remake, selected episodes of Firefly and the entire run of Leverage). Regrettably, I've yet to see reputedly one of the best heist movies, Rififi The trick for Now You See Me is that this is heist / con film being pulled off by the ultimate con-men - magicians. And while the plot does seem to be a con, the movie doesn't really play out that way. For one, we don't actually see the heist, or the plans. Instead, we do get one or two analysis on how the jobs were pulled off, and in that respect, a peek behind the curtain on how a magic trick or two was pulled off. The magic tricks in the movie are mostly inspired by David Copperfield, who was reportedly also consulted for this movie. The big opening illusion which features a teleportation trick is something I had seen Copperfield pull off in one of his TV specials, complete with the circular stage. Although Copperfield's version had the 'audience member' on a raised platform that was extended off the main stage and over the audience before he 'disappeared' from the hall and appeared in some tropical location to meet his son. The problem with a movie like this in this day and age is that, despite what some reports say that a majority of the magic was performed live on camera, it is difficult to distinguish the illusions from the digital magic. It doesn't diminish the effect on screen tho, and some of the magic does shine through. The stars do convincingly pull off most of their onscreen tricks for the most part, while performing their characters almost as an extension of their own personas. As such, it's nothing beyond what we've seen from the stars in the past. Director Louis Leterrier seems content with the stars he's got and isn't really pushing them to deliver any kind of outstanding performances. Leterrier does have a firm handle on the action as one would expect from the director of The Transporter or The Incredible Hulk. He did mention that after the Hulk movie and Wrath of The Titans, he wanted to get away from the heavy reliance on CG effects and sort of return to the 'smaller movies' he used to do. While there are lots of chases, the standout is the showdown when agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) catches up with Dave Franco's Jack Wilder - and some sleight of hand magic is used in the fight choreography. Still, the overall plot does lose a bit of it's cool steam towards the end once the (expected) twist rears its head in trying to explain why everything that has happened did happen. It feels like the writers might have trying a tad too hard to tie things together, finding some logical reason for the proceedings. The resolution, for me, puts the movie on a bit of a bum note, leaving quite a few loose threads hanging. It might be an acceptable resolution for some, and if you don't put too much thought into it, maybe it won't bother you too much. It's just that as Jesse Eisenberg's Daniel Atlas says in the film, "First rule of magic: always be the smartest person in the room." There is a danger to being too smart, particularly for a movie like this. In any case, the movie does manage to entertain and is slick enough to get away with most of it. There is fun to be had for sure and just maybe, checking your brains at the door might be a good thing.
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