A heist film with a magical edge, Now You See Me puts on quite a show - with mixed results.
A mysterious patron brings together four of the world's top magicians to conduct daring heists where they steal from banks and corrupt corporations as they perform their high-tech stage shows.
J.D (Jesse Eisenberg), Henley (Isla Fisher), Merritt (Woody Harrelson) and Jack (Dave Franco) are known as The Four Horsemen, and become cult heroes as they redistribute their newly acquired wealth, outwitting flustered FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo).
It's a novel idea but its treatment is a little too clever for its own good. The twists and turns are constant as the identity of who is behind the Horsemen is hinted, with some too obvious, some too obscure, and the plot holes hard to ignore. Basically, we're never drawn into caring about the mystery at the heart of this ambitious crime thriller.
The magicians do their best with characters who are interesting enough but aren't given the time to become anything more. Fisher and James Franco's younger brother, Dave, are underused but hold their ground, and The Social Network's Eisenberg plays the snarky genius, again. Which leaves group veteran Harrelson to add humour with his charming Southern routine.
