NOW YOU SEE ME

Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Common, Michael Kelly and David Warshofsky.
Writers: Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt.
Director: Louis Leterrier

Rating: 4/5

One must approach Louis Leterrier’s ridiculously entertaining Now You See Me with exactly the mindset you would adopt if you decided to sit down for one of the magical extravaganzas central to the movies conceit. If you are going to avail yourself to two of hours slight of hand and slippery conjuring, you are going to have to be willing to believe the unbelievable to fully enjoy the show.

The lean, snappy, funny script from Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt spins the story of a quartet of magicians with varying skills who, under the stage name ‘The Four Horsemen’, enact elaborate bank heists and elude international authorities with arrogant panache. Showman Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) is the self-appointed leader of the group, though mentalist Merrit McKinney (Woody Harrelson), illusionist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and upstart Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) keep his ego in check with quick asides and their own well-honed skills.

A pre-title montage establishes them all as down-on-their luck bit players in the world of magic, until a mysterious invitation and the presence of a hooded figure spins all their lives off into Vegas superstardom. Backed by smug benefactor Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), the quartet make headlines when a showstopping act of international thievery puts them in direct conflict with grizzled FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (a terrific Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol sidekick Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). The investigators, constantly flummoxed by the quick hands and minds of their suspects, employ debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) to help crack the case.

Given his hit (Unleashed; The Incredible Hulk) and miss (Clash of the Titans; Transporter 2) career to date, Leterrier exhibits a sure and professional touch with his fifth and best feature. He adheres closely to the primary tenets of the magician’s code, spinning his narrative on the maintenance of illusion via misdirection create the perception your audience is one step ahead when in fact they are two steps behind. He wisely keeps his magicians at an enigmatic arms-length from the audience, never quite revealing motivations until the timing is just right. Some viewers may be a little surprised at the central role Ruffalo and the stunning Laurent take in the plot, but the pay-off, however convoluted it may feel, is immensely satisfying.

The result is a supremely slick piece of commercial filmmaking; despite being patently implausible in every respect, the swirling camera and warm colours employed by DOP’s Mitchell Amundsen and Larry Fong, the rich depth of Peter Wenham’s production design and the beat-perfect cutting of editors Robert Leighton and Vince Tabaillon dispel disbelief with a giddy pace. Special credit goes to Brian Tyler’s driving, buoyant score, which ebbs and flows beautifully with the onscreen action and goes a long way to making Now You See Me a daft but dazzling adventure.