Now You See Me - 8 stars out of 10

Now You See Me - 8 stars out of 10

"Now You See Me" is a fresh take on the traditional heist film.  Every great heist requires secretive sleight of hand to fool a robbery victim but this time, the sleight of hand takes place on stage in front of thousands during a magic show.  The premise is interesting, committing these robberies in plain sight so that the accusation of "robbing a bank by using magic" will sound crazy and illogical.  The film does not take the magic-is-real route like "The Prestige"; instead, each robbery is rationalized within the movie by the magic-trick-busting Morgan Freeman.  The movie strategically uses its characters to explain the magic to us without it seeming out of place.  The real draw for this film is its talented ensemble cast.  It works because the writers created a diverse array of personalities amongst its characters, allowing each actor to develop a personality entirely unique from the others.  Even though four of the characters are magicians, no two characters interact in the same way amongst the quartet.  This unique blending of chemistry creates tension at first but then establishes a true team atmosphere.  Jesse Eisenberg delivers another great performance in a role that fits his personality, but I would argue that the best performance actually comes from Michael Caine.  His role is small but plays a huge part in creating empathy for the magicians.  One of the most interesting magic tricks in this film is the way that the writers continually transform the characters from heroes to villains and back again.  Woody Harrelson's character is rude and arrogant and he plays it perfectly.  Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent have great chemistry together, while Freeman plays the bad guy so well (though you hate to dislike him).  My only complaint is that this film is entirely believable with the exception of one sequence where the magicians are suddenly qualified to act in "The Bourne Identity" and "The Fast and the Furious," and then go back to being normal people ten minutes later.  And the worst part is that it is a pivotal moment in the plot.  But I can look past it for the great acting.  The story doesn't necessarily have any loose ends but it certainly under-explains several aspects of the plot (mainly where these characters end up once they disappear from the story).  It bothers me a slight bit but I cannot help but feel that it intentionally creates that mysterious feel of an unexplained trick.  I can't put this on the same level as "Ocean's Eleven" but it is definitely in the same ballpark when it comes to comedy, cleverness, and a really cool heist.  "Now You See Me" serves as a long magic trick, using misdirection to draw your eyes one place for the entire film while they pull a rabbit out of their hat at the end.