By: Jamie Steinberg
I’ll be honest, I had to go back and watch the first two Now You See Me films to prep for snagging a spot to see Now You See Me: Now You Don’t. The other films contained great feats of wonder, so I was excited to pick back up with the Four Horsemen. In the latest installment we are reintroduced to our favorite tricksters who are tasked with stealing the world’s biggest diamond (don’t be alarmed Louvre). Grab a seat and be ready for flights of fancy as J. Daniel Atlas and crew continue to amaze.
We return to the quartet where J. Daniel Atlas’ (Jesse Eisenberg) bravado looms as large (if not larger) as ever while the team – consisting of Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Dave Wilder (Dave Franco) and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) – continues to lovingly bicker amongst themselves. Their lives are upended once more when they are tasked with stealing a huge diamond belonging to an international crime syndicate boss, Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike). Adding to the mix are a trio of illusionists – Ariana Greenblatt as June, Dominic Sessa as Bosco Leroy and Justice Smith as Charlie – who steal from the rich and give to the poor with a hint of social activism. When the three newbies unmask a crypto conman and redistribute his wealth, they find their way onto Danny’s radar and into the fray as the Horsemen head to Antwerp to take down Veronika and snag the diamond at hand.
Director Ruben Fleischer does a wonderful job at adding tricks and pizzazz to another Now You See Me adventure. Certainly, the sleights and stunt work continue to astound. Additionally, the fresh face additions help give the film a face lift and uniqueness needed to freshen up the fan favorite heist series. In fact, with these new additions to the franchise there just might be room for a Now You See Me spinoff.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t has a lot of familiar tricks, but the ever present charm remains. This heist-thriller is pulsing with magic and continues to make the ever affable Four Horsemen worth appearing in a theater seat for their latest slight of hand shenanigans.