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Film Review – Now You See Me

Director: Louis Leterrier
Screenplay: Ed Solomon
Cast: Michael Caine ,Isla Fischer, Morgan Freeman, Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent, Mark Ruffalo
Genre: Thriller
Rating: ****
Venue:Ster Kinekor Maerua Mall, Cine 2

Rating Score
* – Poor
** – Average
*** – Good
**** – Very Good
***** – Excellent

Imagine what it would be like to be a modern-day Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor or what it would be like to travel to faraway countries to rob banks without getting caught. Four street magicians get to answer all those questions in Now You See Me. The film tells the story of J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fischer), mentalist Merrit Mckinney (Woody Harrelson), pick-pocket and card magician Jack Wilder, played by Dave Franco. The group is known as the Four Horsemen who are on the go and on the run. They are pursued by FBI agent Dylan Rhodes and French Interpol agent Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent) whose constant bickering leads them to let the magicians escape every time the agents think they have nabbed the ‘thieves’. Now You See Me is fast paced from the first frame and it is intriguing too. We first see the artists in different parts of the United States performing acts with a hooded guy watching them. This most definitely catches the viewer’s attention as he or she can’t help but get more curious as to who the guy in the hoodie is and what role he plays in the lives of the Four Horsemen. Through their tricks the magicians manage to deceive massive crowds, robbing a bank that is in Paris from a stage in Las Vegas. The magicians quickly become a hit, but realize that it is not only Agent Rhode that is after them but also someone that is looking to expose their magic Thaddeus Bradley who is played by Morgan Freeman is on a mission to prove that magic does not exist and tries to explain to agent Rhodes how every trick is performed. This is something later on he regrets when he is eventually set up by the magicians and discovers that Agent Rhodes is in fact the master of the Four Horsemen. Talk about a massive twist that no one sees or even suspects, totally mind blowing! Riveting, engaging, mind-racing and keeping you guessing, is what best describes the film. This is a true definition of a thriller, not once will you doze off or want to miss a moment of the action. It is so brilliant, just when you think you have figured out the magic tricks, another curved ball is thrown your way. There are so many suspects for the robberies and again, just when you think the culprit has been caught, it seems the mastermind has more than we bargained for. This cascade of action keeps you constantly guessing, biting your nails and pulling your hair, scene after scene. It is a great film with one of the best movie plots ever, an awesome cocktail of talent both young and old. Michael Caine plays the Horsemen’s investor, wealthy business man Arthur Tressler who owns a company that’s been stealing money from unsuspecting victims. The Horsemen turn on him and steal money from his account and pay it out to audience members from whom it was stolen. His role is not big but it is memorable. It’s so hard to believe that the actor turned eighty this year. He is still as vibrant as he has been in previous films proving that he is not slowing down anytime soon. It is now you see the tricks, now you don’t, al the way through. Even at the end of the film there is a surprising twist. Go watch it. I guarantee that you will thoroughly enjoy every minute of it, just be careful not to lose your mind because your mind will be racing while you try to figure out how the tricks are performed but you will not get it.

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