A good mystery has three core components. There’s the hook: a murder that takes place on a speeding train, or a group of strangers trapped in a house by someone willing to pick them off one by one. Then there are the twists: the obvious suspect ends up dead, or someone previously labeled innocent comes under suspicion. And then there’s the reveal, which pulls all the pieces together. Some great mystery movies have come out in the last few years, particularly Rian Johnson‘s Knives Out trilogy, but one takes things to the next level.
That movie is Now You See Me, now streaming on Prime Video. Now You See Me follows a quartet of magicians: illusionist J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), hypnotist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and impressionist Jack Wilder (Dave Franco). Known as the “Four Horsemen,” they pull off a string of daring robberies using their skills, putting them in the crosshairs of FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo). An intense game of cat and mouse follows, along with a mystery that keeps viewers hooked until the credits roll.
‘Now You See Me’ Keeps Its Audience Guessing Until The Very End
Half the fun of watching Now You See Me is in how the Four Horsemen use their skills to pull off their heists. McKinney’s ability to hypnotize people comes in handy, since his targets have no memory of what they’ve done. Jack is skilled at voice mimicry and lock picking, two skills any thief would love. In one of the most iconic moments, Atlas tricks Rhodes into getting up close during a heated interrogation and trapping him in his own handcuffs. What makes it even more impressive is that most of the tricks were performed with practical effects, meaning viewers could replicate them in real life.
The other element that makes Now You See Me work is how director Louis Leterrier blends the mystery of stage magic with the thrill of a heist movie. To stay one step ahead of the Horsemen, Rhodes leans on Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), who makes a livingbreaking down the secrets behind magicians’ tricks. That adds a new layer of danger to the Horsemen’s heist: if someone who knows how they operate is working with the authorities, how do they stay one step ahead? It culminates in a finale with multiple jaw-dropping reveals, and viewers will rewatch to see what they missed the first time.
‘Now You See Me’ Launched an Entire Franchise of Movies
When Now You See Me premiered in 2013, critics panned it, but it became a massive box-office success. As a result, Lionsgate greenlit a sequel that July, and Now You See Me 2 debuted in 2013. While the movie made some changes, including a new cast member, Daniel Radcliffe, and a new director, John M. Chu, the thrill of watching the Horsemen pull off impossible feats still hooked fans. Last year, the third movie, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, was released, in which the Horsemen train a new generation of magicians to help them with their most daring heist. Lionsgate executive Adam Fogelson was apparently so impressed with the final result that he greenlit a fourth installment and convinced director Rueben Fleischer to return.
“We were so happy with the director’s cut, we’re already developing the next chapter…We can’t wait for audiences to discover what he’s done with the third film and thrilled he’ll be making even more magic with us.””
Like any good magic trick, Now You See Me draws in its audience with a seemingly simple story, then dazzles them with visuals and plot twists that feel like they’re impossible to pull off. The trick is to watch closely, and now that the movie’s on Prime Video, magic and heist fans can watch it to their heart’s content.
- Release Date
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May 31, 2013
- Runtime
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116 minutes
- Director
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Louis Leterrier
