Now You See Me

Do you believe in magic?

Summertime films have crept into theaters this year, with less of a bang than Star Trek Into Darkness, Iron Man 3, or really any of the other films probably would have liked. Box office is fine, but nothing has generated much buzz - at least not in my circles, and not that I've noticed. Well, other than making Benedict Cumberbatch becoming a familiar name on this side of the Atlantic. It's not just me, I saw it on E!

I didn't know what to expect from Now You See Me, but it's a pretty good summertime heist movie - and who doesn't love a good heist? Somewhere in the company of Catch Me If You Can, The Italian Job and the Ocean's Eleven series, there's Now You See Me. Not quite as grand, but entertaining, nonetheless. There's a roster of great performers and an elegance that raises Now You See Me above the blink-and-you-missed-it releases of Seven Psychopaths and Hit and Run a few months back. The cast's sex appeal and the whimsical attitude of Now You See Me helped make my Tuesday night viewing a packed house.

Four illusionists - with their powers combined! - team up to pull off one grand illusion, moving from independent obscurity to international fame with a fantastical bank robbery. From the trailer, it seems that this is their M.O., but there's so much more to it than that. Pursued by the FBI, Interpol, and a former magician who has devoted his career to revealing the tricks of the trade, the Four Horsemen (as the illusionists call themselves) put on a heck of a show in Vegas, New Orleans, and New York City.

French director Louis Leterrier's resume is action films: The Transporter and its sequel, The Incredible Hulk, Clash of the Titans... so it's no surprise that this film feels like a couple of action scenes - and the stuff inbetween. There's no denying that the chase and fight scenes are dynamic, but the character scenes are somewhat lacking. Thankfully, the actors are capable of holding their own. As Daniel Atlas, specialist in slight-of-hand, Jesse Eisenberg revisits a more fun version of his Social Network brand of cocky bastard. Isla Fisher's Henley masters physical illusions, having moved on from playing assistant to Daniel, and infinitely more in her element than she was in The Great Gatsby. Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson, ever the imp) uses his skills as a mentalist to call out the sexual tension between Daniel and Henley. And then there's Jack Wilder, manipulator of objects, youngest of the bunch, least confident, played by Dave Franco - edging out from James's shadow. Pursuing The Four Horsemen are FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo, who I kept expecting to Hulk out) and Interpol agent Alma Dray (Wait, that was her name? What kind of name is that?) Mélanie Laurent plays Dray, lovely, French, with most excellent English. Some performers are fluent in English, and yet something about their character feels like they're mentally translating; Laurent does not. I loved her in Beginners, and she does not disappoint here. What can be said of Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine? That these are hardly among the actors' most memorable roles, though they do entertain.

I understand the need to give Daniel and Henley a backstory (otherwise there is very little but the characters' charm to make us root for them, and no time to establish that), but the maybe-maybe-not that's going on between Laurent's character and Ruffalo's character was a little silly and unbelievable. Y'all know I love New Orleans - but the unsteady cam got to feeling excessive, especially in the morning after Rhodes chased Daniel through Mardi Gras. At least the plot twists were interesting, and fun to watch. No single performer steals the film, but all the elements work together for one grand result. For a summertime movie, Now You See Me is certainly worth seeing.


Notes:
- Eisenberg and Harrelson worked together previously on the comedy Zombieland.
- Didja catch that? Leterrier directs Ruffalo in Now You See Me, but he also directed The Incredible Hulk; Ruffalo played Bruce Banner/Hulk in The Avengers. You may also have noticed that the film reuintes Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, the pair having worked together on Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.
- Producer Alex Kurtzman is having a good summer; he also produced Star Trek Into Darkness.