Now You See Me - 3 1/2 smiles

“Now You See Me,” helmed by Louis Leterrier, is an entertaining heist thriller with comedic overtones. If the Robin Hood-esque redistribution-of-wealth capers its protagonists perform remains a bit under-sketched, its barely noticeable because you’re having such a good time trying to figure out this puzzle box. The movie opens with cocky magician Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), his ex-assistant-turned illusionist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) and hustler magician Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) each receiving cards summoning them to a mysterious location. Cut to a year later, when the quartet, supported by millionaire benefactor Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), has gathered to perform under the moniker of the Four Horsemen. After a daring show in Las Vegas in which they shower stolen cash from a Parisian bank their cheering audience, the group heads to New Orleans and repeats the feat with a similarly baffling public heist. On their trail is FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) paired with Interpol Agent Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). While authorities are intent on solving the crimes for which they feel the Four Horsemen are responsible, professional magic debunker Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) is interested for different reasons.

Various characters drop out of and back into the story as it progresses although the script doesn’t have enough time to satisfactorily develop all of those involved in this pleasurable adventure. And, contrary to the previews, the Four Horsemen are not always the stars of their own wild tale. Still, all of the head games and various feints lend themselves to some enjoyably charged scenes of confrontation, especially the interrogations between Rhodes and the suspects. And the script, by Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt, throws in enough MacGuffins to keep audiences happily guessing. Eisenberg takes a one-dimensional character and makes him a compelling individual as does Woody Harrelson. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman lend considerable gravitas and their characters’ mini-payoffs enhance the overall satisfaction with the movie. “Now You See Me” is an intriguing escapade revolving around a magician’s deliberate misdirection. ‘The more you look, the less you see.’ You just might have to see this one a second time……or a third.   5/31/13