Now You See Me Review

It's a kind of magic...but is it the right kind? Look closely, because the more you think you see in this review, the easier it'll be to fool you!
Undoubtedly, if nothing else Now You See Me represents an immensely satisfying diversion from the status quo. While the film probably inhabits the thriller genre in basic terms, its layered and fast-paced narrative outwits most of its generic competitors thanks to its sheer intelligence and innovation upon its genre's oldest tropes. Just as the 'four Horsemen'- the four magicians who intriguingly weave between the role of protagonists and antagonists on a regular basis- attempt to distract and thus decieve their audience with intense magic tricks, so too does it feel as if the screenplay writers and the director are frequently attempting to pull much the same wool over the audience's eyes.

More impressively still, the trick actually seems to work. There are certain twists in the plot that any semi-regular film fan will spot from a mile off, yet these will likely be forgotten come the climax thanks to the surprising number of true shocks that await you within the movie's 115 minute running time. Believe this reviewer, those 115 minutes will seem to pass very quickly, as the film engrosses the viewer in both its narrative and its star-studded cast with absolute ease. Perhaps those members of the audience who have had some dealings with magic in the past will be able to attempt to 'work out' the tricks, yet easily some of the most satisfying and compelling moments here involve the revelations of how each of the Horsemen's stunts were pulled off in such spectacular fashion. The narrative here somehow feels like no other, despite deriving from a genre where secrets unfolding is such a commonplace narrative element.

This reviewer had his concerns in particular about whether the extensive Hollywood cast here would create issues in terms of making the experience seem like nothing more than a simple ensemble piece. Thankfully, each member of the cast finds him or herself used in a productive and compelling manner. Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Caine, Mark Ruffalo and Morgan Freeman are all particularly fantastic during their screen time, yet even those lesser-known stars who have a role to play here don't disappoint, with Isla Fisher (the woman who brought us a stunning rendition of The Great Gatsby's Myrtle recently) giving a potentially career-defining performance as the sly and playful trickster Henley. It's certainly reassuring to see that in a day and age where woeful efforts such as Movie 43 and New Year's Eve can horrendously misuse their ensemble cast, equally strong contenders like Now You See Me still manage to achieve the exact opposite outcome.

When a motion picture such as this relies so intently on its variety of visual setpieces fuelled by deceit and does so with such aplomb, it would be impossible to continue without commending its helm. Louis Lettier is a relative newcomer to the directorial scene, having only worked on The Incredible Hulk and Clash of the Titans these past few years, but this is by no means a constraint here, quite the contrary. It's thanks to Lettier's stunning work on and behind the camera that we as an audience are pulled so willingly and enthrallingly into this compelling world of mystery, and indeed that each reveal of the truth behind the 'magic' proves such an intelligent surprise. Few directors could have truly wrongfooted the audience so cunningly as Lettier does, and for that he rightly deserves a large amount of the credit in terms of the film's success.

Now You See Me is not infallible, though- in one or two instances, its tricks work better conceptually than they do in execution. As I glanced at my watch with around ten minutes to go until the credits were set to roll, it seemed as if the climax of the piece might end up a little rushed, and indeed that sense of frantically racing for the finish line did seem prevalent in the movie's final moments. Considering this is a piece of cinema where the fast pacing nature of its narrative does not rob it of an intricate structure, it was a shame to witness the cards falling down somewhat in its conclusive scenes. Some of the exposition for the film's major twists gets blurted out with such speed that only the most attentive of viewers will catch everything first time round, in contrast to most of those aforementioned 'reveal' moments getting the time and dialogue attention they truly warrant.

But to dwell too heavily on these minor qualms is to do a great disservice to what Now You See Me gets right on so many occasions. Although its climax doesn't perhaps do justice to what's come before, nevertheless there's a well-rounded structure on offer here that provides a large amount of credits come the final moments before the credits. The cast remains one of the finest ensembles we've seen assembled since The Avengers, and the direction here rivals the true greats of the thriller genre. As I mentioned earlier, though Now You See Me befits the thriller genre, on the whole its biggest strength is that on so many levels, it takes the tropes of that genre and uses them to outright deceive its audience, ultimately transcending its competitors to become one of 2013's finest films yet.
4/5