Now You See Me

-

Now You See Me
Starring Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman
Directed by Louis Leterrier


A mysterious man invites four different types of magicians - Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg),  Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) - to join forces and become The Four Horsemen.  During a show in Las Vegas, they magically transport a man to a bank in Paris, where the money is taken and given to the audience.

Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) lives to debunk magic, and works with special agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) to find out how the magicians were able to rob a bank in Paris while being in Las Vegas.  That is only the beginning of the mystery, as the Four Horsemen continue their Robin Hood-esque style of magic, which at first seems unconnected to each other, but as the pieces begin to add up, there's more than meets the eye with these particular magicians, and the person responsible for bringing them all together.

Unfortunately it seems that magic is a dying genre in America.  People aren't as enthusiastic as they once were, with a lot of magic tricks being revealed and the desires of more modern technologies seem to suck the life out of the old antiquated profession.

"Now You See Me" brings back the old magic (heh) of the performance, bringing to life the inner child in each of us who at one time longed for the mysterious, baffled by the sights we beheld.  Where you see something and wonder, "how did they do that?" instead of "I'll just Google it."  The magic of the film is amazing, even though it's completely staged and not real, it's still an awe-inspiring sight.

The story itself is a complex ring of lies, deceit and deception - everything magic entails.  Slight of hand, misdirection, and illusions are portrayed throughout the film, and not just during the magic shows.  You need a keen eye to see what's happening, and what's not happening, to understand everything going on.  It's not a simplistic method, and I enjoyed that.  I don't like to be spoon-fed a plot, I like to try to figure it out on my own.

Also with such a top-notch cast, "Now You See Me" was a surprise hit of the summer, and it really shouldn't have been such a surprise.  Maybe this will help re-ignite the desire in all of us for the old-school style of shock and awe.  An amazing film throughout, an "Ocean's Eleven" with magic.

My Rating: A

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Major Theatrical Releases May 2019

-
Image
Major Theatrical Releases May 2019 After the hype that is "Avengers: Endgame," May offers a massive collection of differing types of movies, enough to entertain everyone. Here are the major theatrical releases for May 2019. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** **DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**  The Intruder May 3 Dennis Quaid goes from starring the family-friendly "A Dog's Journey" to playing a total psycho in "The Intruder."  When a young couple purchases a home from Quaid's character Charlie, they didn't realize it came with an addition - Charlie himself, who can't seem to let his old home go.  I don't expect any twists or turns in this tale, and this looks like a film better fit for Lifetime than the big screen.  Long Shot May 3 Charlize Theron stars as Charlotte Field, the current Secretary of State and who's running for President.  Seth Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, a...
Read more

Witch

-
Image
Witch Starring Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit Movies about witches are about a dime a dozen, and follow the same formula: typically set in a time period long ago (since now, fortunately, the stigma of witches has been lessened and the religious fervor has diminished), in a small Puritanical town, a girl is accused of witchcraft which spirals the town into a frenzy filled with suspicion, doubt, and murder until the witch is put to religious justice. While that's not necessarily a bad formula (Robert Eggers' "The VVitch" and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" immediately come to mind), most films fall by the wayside. "Witch" is a small film that, at first glance, seems to follow the mold before completely shattering it in a second act twist that's daring, provocative, and works in a lot of levels, but could've been more pronounced if given a bigger budget. In the small ...
Read more

Special Review: "Midwest Sessions"

-
Image
Special Review: "Midwest Sessions" Directed by Mario Ricciardi Independent filmmaking is a fascinating concept, wherein the director and everyone involved sets out to make something unique, different, and go against the traditional status quo of what's defined as a "blockbuster." These films aren't usually seen by the masses and won't be included in the top ten highest grossing movies of all time, but they offer something those films don't: a heart and commitment by the people involved to craft something wholly distinctive that tell a story in their own way. Such is "Midwest Sessions," a local film directed by Mario Ricciardi that centers on the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and the captivating people who live there. Told in different vignettes that seem distinct and different from one another but coming together as a whole in the end, it's an engrossing film that utilizes its shoestring budget and gives great performances, decent effects a...
Read more