A movie can be a lot like a magic trick; it isn’t enough to
build up suspense and intrigue if you can’t make good at the end. Such is the
task for director Louis Leterrier’s magical-mystery caper, NOW YOU SEE ME.
An FBI Agent (Mark Ruffalo) and his Interpol partner
(Melanie Laurent) are hot on the trail of four magicians (Jesse Eisenberg,
Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco) who pull off a series of magical
heists against corrupt business leaders and companies, including their own
financial backer (Michael Caine), and to the frustration of a magic-trick
debunker/TV star (Morgan Freeman).
NOW YOU SEE ME chugs along briskly and joyfully as it goes
through layers of twists and turns combined with spectacle and intrigue. The
audience is dropped into the laps of the FBI Agents and their magic-debunker,
and we see the film through their eyes as the magicians mysteriously get away
with impossible robberies on a live stage. The film is plot-heavy, and the
characters and their development take a back seat (or maybe even the trunk) to
the story. The characters are merely players in the grand scheme of things, and
it is nearly forgivable as the show is just too darn fun to care.
Director Louis Leterrier keeps the pacing quick, the humor
well-timed, and the dialogue sharp as he guides us through a maze of mystery
which winds up being more of a sleuth-film than a magical trip. The script he
is working from has more than its share of flaws; major plot-holes and lapses
in its very own logic are nearly everywhere. It’s storytelling in broad
strokes; nitpickers will have a field day and the film can only be enjoyed as
far as the audience is willing to not think about certain things. Leterrier
shows his shortcomings as a director when the stakes have to be raised as his
scenes involving “action” are boosted not by tension but by over-editing and
way too much camera movement. His over-use and abuse of the 360-degree swooping
camera move is neat at first but becomes nauseating after you see it for the
875th goddamn time.
The cast is overqualified for the plot, but it doesn’t
matter because they are all a joy to watch. The film belongs to Mark Ruffalo as
he gets to show a variety of emotions here. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson
continue to have great chemistry together, while Morgan Freeman and Michael
Caine bring sparks when they share the screen together. Faring a little worse
is Dave Franco, who despite having a lot to do seems to be a carbon-copy of his
older brother (James Franco). Melanie Laurent is insanely cute and adorable,
but the French actress is difficult to understand at times.
After spending 90% of the story (magic trick) building up a
massive amount of mystery and awe, the film collapses under its own weight
courtesy of a clumsy and clunky twist-ending which raises more questions than
it answers. Although the big reveal (and the film as a whole) follows the basic
template for a magic trick, it’s just too far out there to be believed and goes
right back to the swiss-cheese screenplay at work. The film never bothers to
drop any clues along the way for the end to make sense, and it is so loose they
would have been better off taking a page out of the CLUE book by offering
alternate revelations. The only real
revelation in the finale is that NOW YOU SEE ME is not as smart as it thinks it
is.
BOTTOM LINE: Rent it
You make some accurate points as you review "Now You See Me." But I went is, as I would to any Magic show, looking for "Magic." And I found it in this film. Even after seeing it two days in a row. While even more complicated, it reminded me of "The Sting" which I believe is a true Classic. You've got to let yourself go when you see this one. Let yourself fall right into the picture! AND....see it on the BIG screen!
ReplyDeleteMake that...."I went in...."
ReplyDelete