Now You See Me... Magic and Action

With a free Redbox one-day movie rental, I borrowed Now You See Me. Other than being one of the more recently release DVDs offered by Redbox and a decent rating (by Redbox viewers), I decided to give it a shot. Turns out it follows four highly skilled magicians (four horseman) who reward their audience with money from the rich, similar to Robin Hood stealing for the poor. They are being chased by the authorities, who want to uncover the secret behind the robbery.

This movie was the perfect rental. It was entertaining watching the magic tricks (probably because it would have been impossible in the real world), and then have Thaddeus Bradley (played by Morgan Freeman) debunk the illusions to the FBI and Interpol. Like any magic show, we feel more accomplished when we either decipher ourselves or are told how the magic trick on accomplished.

However, what I really didn't enjoy was that last bit of romance that was thrown into the end of the movie. It felt completely out of place since there was barely any resemblance of a relationship throughout the film. The character's weren't developed well enough to warrant it. Also, J. Daniel Atlas (played Jesse Eisenberg) and Henley Reeves (played by Isla Fisher) were headed to being together, but was never revealed.

Like any other movie, there are lots of questions after watching the movie:

1. In the second trick, wouldn't the four horseman need a bunch of support staff (accomplices) to transfer money to the audience's bank account?
2. After being arrested by the FBI after the first act, why were they released?
3. What was the significance of  this case being Alma Dray (French detective from Interpol) first?
4. What happens at the end? Is this setting the movie up for a sequel?
5. At the end, why was Thaddeus Bradley kept in a jail that was in such poor condition?
6. Did the FBI really not walk to the back of the room with the huge mirror?
7. How did the Four Horseman get sponsored by Arthur Tressler (played by Michael Caine)?