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Now You See Me

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For the song of the same title, see Now You See Me (song).

Now You See Me is a 2013 American heist film[4] directed by Louis Leterrier from a screenplay by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin, and Edward Ricourt and a story by Yakin and Ricourt. It is the first installment in the Now You See Me series. The film features an ensemble cast of Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Mélanie Laurent, Isla Fisher, Common, Dave Franco, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. The plot follows an FBI agent and an Interpol detective who track and attempt to bring to justice a team of magicians who pull off bank heists and robberies during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.

The film premiered in New York City on May 21, 2013, before its official release in the United States on May 31, 2013, by Summit Entertainment. The film received mixed reviews with criticism being focused on the ending,[5] but became a box office success, grossing $351.7 million worldwide against a budget of $75 million. The film won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Thriller Movie and also received nominations for the Empire Award for Best Thriller and the Saturn Award for Best Thriller Film and Best Music.

A sequel, Now You See Me 2, was released on June 10, 2016. A third installment, Now You See Me: Now You Don't, began filming in 2024 and is expected to be released on November 14, 2025.[6]

Plot[]

Four highly talented magicians - J. Daniel Atlas, Merritt McKinney, Henley Reeves and Jack Wilder - each receive tarot cards leading them to an apartment in New York City. They discover hologram technology instructions from an unknown benefactor there.

A year later, in Las Vegas, they perform as "The Four Horsemen" in a show funded by insurance magnate Arthur Tressler. Their final trick involves transporting an audience member inside a Crédit Républicain bank vault in Paris. Stacks of euro are drawn into the vault's air vents and showered on the crowd; the trick appears to have happened as the Paris vault is found empty of its recent shipment.

FBI agent Dylan Rhodes and French Interpol Alma Dray arrest the Horsemen, but release them due to lack of evidence. They meet Thaddeus Bradley, a former magician turned magic debunker. After revealing that the Horsemen never robbed the bank, he deduces that the Horsemen used a mock vault under the stage that looks exactly like the one in the Paris bank, stole the real money beforehand by subduing the men driving the truck transporting it both on the outside and inside, and replaced it with flash paper designed to resemble the money. The flash paper burned when the vents were activated, but left no smoke or residue. They also manipulated the participant, who is the bank's owner and was selected long before the heist to attend the show, and was hypnotized into helping perform the final trick; the Horsemen had palmed balls that ensured that he was selected and forged his signature using his credit card.

Aided by Thaddeus, the FBI follows the Horsemen to their next show in New Orleans, where they transfer millions from Tressler's private accounts to audience members whose insurance claims were denied by his company following Hurricane Katrina. Dylan attempts to capture the Horsemen, but they escape. Outraged, Tressler hires Thaddeus to expose them for robbing him. Meanwhile, Alma suspects that the Horsemen are part of a secret organization called "the Eye", a group of skilled magicians who steal from the powerful to give to those who are vulnerable and believe that someone is helping them.

Discovering that the Horsemen replaced Dylan's cell phone with a bugged clone to remain ahead of the investigation, the FBI tracks Dylan's real phone to the New York apartment, where three of the Horsemen escape. At the same time, Jack stays behind to destroy evidence before fleeing in a stolen FBI car with Dylan, Alma, and the rest of the FBI in pursuit. Jack loses control of his car in a chase and seemingly dies in a crash. Having failed to save Jack, Dylan recovers papers pointing to the Horsemen's next crime: stealing millions from a safe manufactured by Elkhorn Security. After answering a call from Thaddeus, Dylan suspects that Alma may be helping the Horsemen, which she denies.

The FBI heads to Elkhorn's warehouse but finds the safe missing. It had been loaded on a truck under the orders of a hypnotized FBI agent and is quickly intercepted. They follow it to where the Horsemen is, only to instead meet Thaddeus, whom they at fist think is the fifth Horsemen. He denies it and tells them to open the safe.. Upon doing so, it is discovered to be a decoy full of balloon animals. The FBI converges on the Horsemen's final show at 5 Pointz, where they outwit the FBI with holograms and dummies and give a farewell message to the crowd. As they leap off the roof, Alma stops Dylan from shooting them before the Horsemen disappear in a shower of counterfeit money.

The real money from the Elkhorn safe is found in Thaddeus's car, so he is arrested, presumed to be the Horsemen's accomplice. Dylan visits him in jail, where Thaddeus realizes he is the true mastermind behind the Horsemen's plots, having helped them dupe the FBI into following the duplicate safe. Jack, who faked his death with a decoy car and a cadaver stolen from a morgue, broke into the real safe; during the chase, the other Horsemen briefly cut off contact between Jack and the FBI so they can launch the decoy car without the FBI noticing. The Horsemen tricked the FBI into believing that the safe was missing when it was actually hidden behind a giant mirror and framed Thaddeus with the stolen money. At the Central Park Carousel, Dylan welcomes the Horsemen to the Eye.

At the Pont des Arts in Paris, Dylan meets with Alma, who has also deduced his involvement with the Horsemen. Dylan reveals that he is the son of Lionel Shrike, a magician who was exposed by Thaddeus thirty years prior. Shrike attempted to relaunch his career but died inside a faulty safe during a failed escape trick. Dylan instrumented the Horsemen’s tricks as retribution for his father's death: Elkhorn's safe led to the accident; Thaddeus destroyed Shrike's career; and Crédit Républicain and Tressler's insurance company denied Shrike's life insurance. Alma, having feelings for Dylan, agrees to keep his secret.

Cast[]

  • Jesse Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas, an arrogant illusionist and street magician, and the ostensible leader of the Four Horsemen.
  • Mark Ruffalo as Dylan Rhodes, an FBI agent struggling to capture and bring the Four Horsemen to justice for their unique heist agenda.
  • Woody Harrelson as Merritt McKinney, a hypnotist, mentalist, and a self-proclaimed psychic. Originally more famous in his youth, his manager brother absconded with all his money, leaving McKinney with a long hard trek back to his former glory. Middle-aged, McKinney is the oldest of the Four Horsemen.
  • Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves, an escapist and stage magician. She is also Danny's former assistant and ex-lover.
  • Dave Franco as Jack Wilder, a sleight of hand illusionist, street magician, and a talented impressionist of other people's voices. Additionally, he is a pickpocket, and is able to pick locks. In his early twenties, Jack is the youngest of the Four Horsemen.
  • Mélanie Laurent as Alma Dray, a French Interpol agent who is partnered up with Dylan to investigate the Four Horsemen.
  • Morgan Freeman as Thaddeus Bradley, a former magician who, for thirty years, has profited by revealing the secrets behind other magicians' tricks.
  • Michael Caine as Arthur Tressler, an insurance magnate and the Four Horsemen's sponsor.
  • Michael J. Kelly as Agent Fuller, an FBI agent and Dylan's partner.
  • Common as Evans, Dylan's supervisor at the FBI.
  • David Warshofsky as Cowan, an FBI agent.
  • José Garcia as Étienne Forcier, the account holder at the Crédit Républicain de Paris.
  • Jessica C. Lindsey as Hermia, Thaddeus Bradley's assistant.
  • Caitríona Balfe as Jasmine Tressler, Arthur Tressler's young wife.
  • Stephanie Honoré as Atlas Groupie
  • Stanley Wong as MGM Grand Usher
  • Laura Cayouette as Hypnotized Woman
  • Doug M. Griffin as Hypnotized Man
  • Adam Shapiro as Jack's Pick-Pocket Victim
  • J Larose as Willy Mears
  • Justine Wachsberger as Paris Bank Manager
  • Christian Gazio as Armored Truck Driver
  • Benoit Cransac as Armored Truck Guard
  • Conan O'Brien as Himself
  • Samantha Beaulieu as Mobile Command Tech Agent
  • Odessa Sykes as Josepha Hickey
  • Shannon Maris as Dina Robertson
  • Nicki Daniels as Savoy Audience Member
  • Wendy Miklovic as Dylan's Tackler
  • Brad Abrell as Announcer
  • Randi Rousseau as New Orleans TV Reporter
  • Hunter Burke as Sazerac Bartender
  • Brian Tucker as FBI Agent Baskin
  • Teddy Canez as FBI Lead Ground Agent
  • Joe Chrest as Elkhorn Janitor Agent
  • Kerry Cahill as Elkhorn Agent
  • Diego Miro as Dylan (12 Yrs Old)
  • Adella Gauthier as Marie Claire
  • Han Soto as Mobile Command Leader
  • Jaren Mitchell as Henley's Frat Boy #1
  • Scott Shilstone as Henley's Frat Boy #2
  • Zac Waggener as Henley's Frat Boy #3
  • Caleb Michaelson as Henley's Frat Boy #4
  • Anthony Molinari as FBI Truck Driver
  • Griff Furst as Stethoscope Agent
  • Katheryn Swann as FBI Investigator #1
  • Kevin Roy as FBI Investigator #2
  • Kenneth Herrington as FBI Investigator #3
  • Andy Ryan as Tressler Bodyguard #1
  • Erik Blake as Tressler Bodyguard #2
  • Tarek Isham as Singer/Musician #1
  • Alynda Segarra as Singer/Musician #2
  • Cathrine Cavazos as Singer/Musician #3
  • Sam Doores as Singer/Musician #4
  • Catherine Poon as Chinese Tenant
  • Michael Hartson as Lead Officer 5 Pointz

Uncredited[]

  • Elias Koteas appears, uncredited, as Lionel Shrike, a magician who drowned while performing an escape trick thirty years earlier.

Notes and Trivia[]

  • When Now You See Me airs on television, some lines are redubbed and sometimes muted or taken out. This is a list of those that were changed/cut out:
    • Henley: "Whoever thought of this is a sick sadist!" ("This is bullshit" is cut out)
    • Atlas Groupie: "You are such an ass!" ("ass" instead of "asshole")
    • Merritt's middle finger gesture is digitally changed to a fist.
    • Daniel and Merritt sarcastically calling each other Jesus and Buddha are cut out.
    • Merritt's line, "What the fuck?" is edited out.
    • Cowan: "Airhead..." (instead of "asshole")
    • Dylan: "...once I'm done with this other bullcrap" ("bullcrap" instead of "bullshit")
    • Fuller: "I guess 'bullcrap' is the trigger word" (instead of "bullshit")
    • A small section in which Thaddeus shows Alma and Dylan a magic trick in which he turns water into wine is cut out.
    • The entire scene in which Dylan is persuading Thaddeus into revealing the Horsemen's trick is different. Lines are cut out/changed, different takes are used, and the setting appears to be different.
    • The scene where Thaddeus meets up with the Horsemen before their show is cut out.
    • The entire scene in which Dylan and Alma talk about the Eye at Alma's house is different. Lines are cut out/changed, different takes are used, and the setting appears to be different.
    • Dylan: "I'm sorry I was a drunken ass" (instead of "asshole")
    • Dylan: "Dammit!" (instead of "God damn it!")
    • Dylan and Jack: "You little twit" (instead of "shit")
    • Dylan saying "Shit" before jumping into the garbage chute is muted.
    • Fuller saying "Shit" after looking into the garbage chute is muted.
    • Fuller's line, "OH SHIT!", is left in the TV version, but the captions read, "Oh, shoot!"
    • Cowan: "...their bullcrap Robin Hood razzle-dazzle..." (instead of "bullshit")
    • Cowan: "Where the heck is the damn safe?" (instead of "Where the hell is the god-damn safe?")
    • Cowan: "You tell me what's going on, cause this is bullcrap!" (instead of "bullshit")
    • Fuller: Gee whiz... (instead of "Jesus Christ")
    • Henrietta's line, "Shit!" is cut out.
    • Cowan: AH, DAMN! (instead of "AH, SHIT!")
    • Cowan: "Gosh damn it" (instead of "God damn it")
    • The flashback with Lionel Shrike and young Dylan is cut out.

Production[]

On October 25, 2011, Summit Entertainment announced the release date for Now You See Me for July 18, 2013.[7] On November 3, 2011, the company revealed the film's first synopsis and teaser poster.[8]

On January 16, 2012, shooting began in New Orleans, Louisiana, which lasted until March 26, 2012.[9] Additional filming took place in New York City on February 13,[10] in Long Island City in Queens in early spring 2012[11][12] and in Las Vegas between April 9 and April 10, 2012.[13]

During the production, actress Isla Fisher experienced a near-drowning incident while filming a scene involving a submerged water tank. According to Fisher, a malfunction with the release chain caused her to be trapped underwater longer than expected, and crew members initially believed she was acting. A nearby stunt coordinator ultimately activated a quick-release mechanism to bring her to safety.[14]

Music[]

Main article: Now You See Me (soundtrack)

The official soundtrack, titled Now You See Me (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), for the film was composed by Brian Tyler and was released by Glassnote Records on May 28, 2013, for physical purchase and digital download.[15] The film's soundtrack song "Entertainment", performed by French rock band Phoenix, was featured in the film's end credits.

Release[]

The film premiered in New York City on May 21, 2013, before its official release in the United States on May 31, 2013, by Summit Entertainment.

Now You See Me was released on DVD and Blu-ray on September 3, 2013, through Lionsgate Home Entertainment. The Blu-ray release contains an extended version of the film featuring ten additional minutes.[16] It also contains two featurettes: a behind-the-scenes and a "History of Magic", plus 30 minutes of deleted scenes.[17]

Reception[]

Box office[]

By the end of its box office run, Now You See Me had grossed $117.7 million in the U.S. and Canada and $234 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $351.7 million, against a budget of $75 million.[1]

The film had a successful box office run, placing second behind Fast & Furious 6 and taking $29,350,389 on its opening weekend from 2,925 theaters. By the end of June, it had grossed double its production budget.[1] The film stayed in the top 10 of the North American box office for six weeks after release.[18]

The biggest markets in other territories were France, China, Russia, South Korea, United Kingdom and Australia where the film grossed $25.7 million, $22.9 million, $21.2 million, $17.1 million, $16.8 million and $16.1 million, respectively.[19]

Critical response[]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval percentage of 50% based on 171 reviews and a rating of 5.80 out of 10. The critics consensus reads: "Now You See Me's thinly sketched characters and scattered plot rely on sleight of hand from the director to distract audiences."[20] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 50 out of 100 based on 35 critic reviews, meaning "Mixed or Average".[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[22]

Peter Hammond from Movieline wrote, "Pure summer movie magic — literally. More fun than Ocean's 11, 12, and 13 combined. You won't believe your eyes — and that's the point."[23]

The film was criticized for its twist ending, with several critics citing it as too farfetched and illogical. Critic Lee Cassanell claimed the creators "ran out of top hats and rabbits and decided to saw their audiences' brains in half."[24] Eric D. Snider was more positive towards the rest of the film, but felt that "the story moves jauntily toward its destination; the destination, unfortunately, is a disappointing wreck."[25] Kent Garrison was far more critical, claiming the film to rely on "one of the worst, if not the worst twist in cinema history, and literally erases everything that it builds up to."[26]

Accolades[]

List of awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient Result Ref.
People's Choice Awards January 8, 2014 Favorite Thriller Movie Now You See Me Won [27]
Empire Awards March 30, 2014 Best Thriller Nominated
Saturn Awards June 26, 2014 Best Thriller Film
Best Music Brian Tyler [28]

Sequels[]

On July 3, 2013, after the box office success of the film, Lionsgate's CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed that there would be a sequel to the film with production beginning in 2014 for an unspecified release date.[29] Louis Leterrier stated that he would return to direct the sequel;[30] however, in September 2014, it was confirmed that Jon M. Chu would replace Leterrier as director. Eisenberg, Ruffalo, Harrelson, Franco, Caine and Freeman were set to reprise their roles for the sequel. Fisher was unable to participate because of her third pregnancy and was replaced by Lizzy Caplan. On October 2, 2014, Michael Caine said in an interview that Daniel Radcliffe would be playing his son in the film.[31] Filming began in late November.[32] The film was released on June 10, 2016, titled Now You See Me 2.[33]

On May 22, 2015, Lionsgate revealed details about the development of the second sequel, when CEO Jon Feltheimer announced that they had "already begun early planning for Now You See Me 3".[34] In 2024, filming began under the direction of Ruben Fleischer, and the film, now titled, Now You See Me: Now You Don't, is scheduled to be released on November 14, 2025.[35]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "Now You See Me (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on November 3, 2016.
  2. ↑ "NOW YOU SEE ME (12A)". British Board of Film Classification (May 28, 2013). Retrieved on May 28, 2013.
  3. ↑ Kaufman, Amy (May 30, 2013). "'Fast & Furious 6' to speed past 'After Earth' at the box office". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on June 2, 2013. ""Now You See Me" cost roughly $75 million"
  4. ↑ "Now You See Me (2013)". American Film Institute. Retrieved on July 26, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Review: 'Now You See Me' Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher & Mark Ruffalo | The Playlist". Blogs.Indiewire.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved on June 2, 2013.
  6. ↑ Fuge, Jonathan (October 16, 2024). "Now You See Me 3 Is 'Truly Miraculous' According To Returning Star". MovieWeb. Retrieved on October 18, 2024.
  7. ↑ Lussier, Germain (October 25, 2011). "'Ender's Game' Has A Release Date, So Does 'Red 2', 'Now You See Me' And Others". Slashfilm.
  8. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (November 3, 2011). "First Synopsis and Promo Poster for NOW YOU SEE ME Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson". Collider.
  9. ↑ "Be on the lookout for Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Chris Evans, Tom Hanks, Jesse Eisenberg & more celebs filming in Louisianadate=December 21, 2011". On Location Vacations (December 21, 2011).
  10. ↑ "'Now You See Me' filming in NYC tomorrow". On Location Vacations (February 13, 2012).
  11. ↑ Rich, Katey (April 15, 2013). "On The Set Of Now You See Me, Where Everyone Has A Trick Up Their Sleeve". Cinemablend. Retrieved on May 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Filmed in NYC - 17,241 Film Locations Mapped". Metrocosm (September 1, 2015). Archived from the original on September 1, 2015.
  13. ↑ "'Now You See Me', starring Jesse Eisenberg & Woody Harrelson, is filming in Las Vegas next week". On Location Vacations (April 6, 2012).
  14. ↑ Jacobs, Matthew (May 30, 2013). "Isla Fisher Almost Drowned While Filming 'Now You See Me': 'No One Realized I Was Actually Struggling'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved on February 27, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Various Artists – Now You See Me (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". AllMusic. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on November 10, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Now You See Me Arrives on Blu-ray and DVD September 3". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline (August 13, 2013).
  17. ↑ SpecialFeatures. "Now You See Me Deleted Scenes". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved on October 4, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Now You See Me". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on October 4, 2022.
  19. ↑ "The Judge – International Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved on January 13, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Now You See Me". Rotten Tomatoes.
  21. ↑ "Now You See Me". Metacritic.
  22. ↑ "Home - Cinemascore". Cinemascore.com.
  23. ↑ MovielineNetwork. "Now You See Me – Movie Review". YouTube. Retrieved on May 30, 2013.
  24. ↑ Cassanell, Lee (July 3, 2013). "Film Review: 'Now You See Me'". Cine Vue. Retrieved on December 14, 2020.
  25. ↑ Snider, Eric (May 30, 2013). "Review: NOW YOU SEE ME Is Incredible, Not in the Good Way". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved on December 14, 2020.
  26. ↑ Garrison, Kent (June 5, 2013). "Now You See Me". Mad About Movies. Retrieved on December 14, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Now You See Me (I) (2013) Awards". IMDb.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on November 3, 2016.
  28. ↑ Johns, Nikara (February 26, 2014). "'Gravity', 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' Lead Saturn Awards Noms". Variety.
  29. ↑ Brew, Simon (August 13, 2013). "'Now You See Me' to get sequel". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved on September 10, 2014.
  30. ↑ Douglas, Edward (August 28, 2013). "'Exclusive: Louis Leterrier Back for Now You See Me Sequel". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved on September 10, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Daniel Radcliffe to Play Michael Caine's Son in NOW YOU SEE ME 2". GeekTyrant.com (October 2, 2014). Retrieved on October 2, 2014.
  32. ↑ Ruffalo, Mark. "And so it begins... Now You See Me... again.". Facebook. Retrieved on November 25, 2014.
  33. ↑ "Lionsgate Sets Dates for Now You See Me 2 and Dirty Grandpa". ComingSoon.net (September 9, 2014). Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved on September 10, 2014.
  34. ↑ McNary, Dave (May 22, 2015). "'Now You See Me 3' in the Works at Lionsgate". Variety. Retrieved on May 22, 2015.
  35. ↑ Grobar, Matt (July 2, 2024). "'Now You See Me' Threequel Dated For 2025". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved on July 2, 2024.

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