Director: Louis Leterrier
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mélanie Laurent and Morgan Freeman
Remember Ocean’s Eleven? What if Danny Ocean and his rat pack had magic tricks up their sleeves along with desperate ideas involving improbable heists? Cool, isn’t it. Well, Louis Leterrier the director of The Transporter movies and protégé to Luc Besson, returns to form with this heist/revenge drama.
The film opens DOA style, with four struggling but talented magicians, street magician J Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), fallen-on-hard-times mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and a sleight-of-hand guy Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) get different tarot cards naming a time and a place from a mysterious hooded stranger. They reach the place only to find that someone has contacted them to combine their various skills to bring out the con job of the century. Their first act involves sending a man back to his native France and robbing a bank. They distribute the money to the audience. FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent) are hot on their trails but they manage to keep themselves several steps ahead of the authorities. Also on their trails is former magician Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) who currently runs a show exposing the trade secrets of the magicians and debunking their myths.
Now You See Me isn’t just a film about magic or about bank robbery capers. It’s also a layered revenge drama at heart. Giving too much away about who wants revenge and how it’s exacted would be spoiling the film for everyone. The former Transporter director lives up to his legacy and hence there are plenty of nail biting chases and stunts and hand-to-hand combats to keep Jason Statham fans happy. The cinematography by Mitchell Amundsen and Larry Fong is truly amazing and keeps the film from degenerating into a Vegas act. The ensemble casts ease into their roles like manicured fingers into well-fitting gloves. Credit must be given to veterans like Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine (who plays the magicians’ rich benefactor) who can put life into all kinds of mundane roles and have the ability to elevate their acting with just the twitch of an eye. One hoped for better chemistry and sexual banter between Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher. Also, the romance between Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent blows more cold than hot.
But that’s just nit-picking into a visual extravaganza that falls just short of making you fall in love with magic once more by over doing the hocus pocus elements towards the end. Also, the open ending keeps hope of a sequel alive; so be prepared for a …Now You Don’t.
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mélanie Laurent and Morgan Freeman
Remember Ocean’s Eleven? What if Danny Ocean and his rat pack had magic tricks up their sleeves along with desperate ideas involving improbable heists? Cool, isn’t it. Well, Louis Leterrier the director of The Transporter movies and protégé to Luc Besson, returns to form with this heist/revenge drama.
The film opens DOA style, with four struggling but talented magicians, street magician J Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), fallen-on-hard-times mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and a sleight-of-hand guy Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) get different tarot cards naming a time and a place from a mysterious hooded stranger. They reach the place only to find that someone has contacted them to combine their various skills to bring out the con job of the century. Their first act involves sending a man back to his native France and robbing a bank. They distribute the money to the audience. FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent) are hot on their trails but they manage to keep themselves several steps ahead of the authorities. Also on their trails is former magician Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) who currently runs a show exposing the trade secrets of the magicians and debunking their myths.
Now You See Me isn’t just a film about magic or about bank robbery capers. It’s also a layered revenge drama at heart. Giving too much away about who wants revenge and how it’s exacted would be spoiling the film for everyone. The former Transporter director lives up to his legacy and hence there are plenty of nail biting chases and stunts and hand-to-hand combats to keep Jason Statham fans happy. The cinematography by Mitchell Amundsen and Larry Fong is truly amazing and keeps the film from degenerating into a Vegas act. The ensemble casts ease into their roles like manicured fingers into well-fitting gloves. Credit must be given to veterans like Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine (who plays the magicians’ rich benefactor) who can put life into all kinds of mundane roles and have the ability to elevate their acting with just the twitch of an eye. One hoped for better chemistry and sexual banter between Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher. Also, the romance between Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent blows more cold than hot.
But that’s just nit-picking into a visual extravaganza that falls just short of making you fall in love with magic once more by over doing the hocus pocus elements towards the end. Also, the open ending keeps hope of a sequel alive; so be prepared for a …Now You Don’t.
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