Photo Credit: Lionsgate
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Director Louis Leterrier assembles a varied and talented cast – Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Melanie Laurent, Woody Harrleson – in Now You See Me. The result, alas, is a classic case of the parts being greater than the sum. Each cast member gets to shine in their own individual storylines, but few are well-connected in the overall narrative, resulting in a giant mish-mash of unrelated motives and unresolved plot points.

The basic plot is kind of like Robin Hood: Men in Tights if the men in tights were all famed illusionists. Here we have a quartet of the world’s most powerful illusionists played by Eisnberg, Fisher, Harrelson, and Franco – who use their gifts of magic to steal from corrupt corporations and then give to the audiences that patronize their shows. It’s an interesting spin on taking on the rich, especially in a week that explores a similar theme from an environmental angel in The East.

The premise never really gets fully explored, however, leaving the audience instead to be subject to a series of magic tricks that take away from the movie’s overall theme. It’s a passable way to spend an afternoon and nothing more.