Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Earlier this year I watched several episodes of the show "Breaking the Magicians Code." Magic tricks are performed: amazing, crazy, and stupefying. Then a masked magician shows how the tricks are done. Suddenly a feeling of stupidity overwhelms. There's no such thing as magic . . . magic tricks are just elaborate hoaxes that create wonder. It's not real.
That's what Morgan Freeman's character, Thaddeus Bradley, is trying to prove in Now You See Me, a suspense movie about keeping the secrets of magic a secret, and those who don't. There's a new magic act called the 4 horsemen, and their show's involve visual splendor and hypnosis mingled with bank/money robbing. It's the attention they get while robbing banks in mystifying ways that pulls in the FBI. Agent Dylan Rhodes, Mark Ruffalo, is trying to stay two steps ahead.
What follows is cat chasing mice . . .
The 4 horsemen comprise a mentalist, escape artist, master locksmith/robber/magician, and sleight-of-hand expert. When we see their show we're treated with quick tricks and hypnotism. Nothing awe inspiring, really, which is what I wanted to see. A movie about magic should be filled with more magic, or at least amazing tricks that dazzle but seem plausible.
There was an exciting car chase, and a crazy escape scene when one of the horsemen try to evade the FBI, but the climax, the big reveal, was a let down and somewhat predictable. And suddenly this whole "magic" thing feels silly and ridiculous.
I was entertained through out . . . until the lame ending. My brothers were underwhelmed. Robbie gave the film a 2.75, and Steven declared it shouldn't get above a 3.
MPAA: PG-13 for language, some action and sexual content.
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