Now You See Me is a one-of-a-kind movie about a team of specialist conmen who use magic and illusions to pull off incredible heists, boasting some impressive magic tricks along the way. The first movie, released in 2013, told the story of the Four Horseman, a group of highly skilled magicians and illusionists who are brought together to form an incredible show and prove their talents in increasingly impressive ways. The group consists of J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) in the first film.
The sequel, Now You See Me 2, builds on the events of the first entry and brings back the majority of the cast. Henley Reeves was replaced by Lula (Lizzie Caplan), and the former FBI operative that was chasing them has been revealed as the person behind the group’s formation, revealing a Fifth Horseman, Agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo). Throughout both films, the team pulls off increasingly impressive feats of magic, sleight of hand, and trickery, which impress the on-screen audience, and real-life viewers. However, with so many incredible tricks, it’s worth looking at which are the best.
6 The Handcuff Trick
Now You See Me (2013)
After the Four Horsemen became an established group, performing live shows in Las Vegas to a packed theater, their tricks also earned them some less positive attention. Having stolen money from a bank vault halfway around the world, the team is apprehended and questioned. It’s during this questioning that one of the most talented tricksters of the group, Danny Atlas, shows off his skills and improvisational magic. During an interrogation by agents Rhodes and Alma Dray, Atlas appears to be securely held hostage thanks to the handcuffs keeping him locked to the table.
However, with magic, nothing is ever as it seems. When things get heated in the interrogation, Atlas is quickly able to swap the cuffs from his wrists onto Agent Rhodes’ in the blink of an eye. This trick is incredibly cool and perfectly executed, and it gets bonus points for being improvised with the law enforcement’s own tools. Atlas frees himself from a real pair of steel handcuffs, chained down to a real metal desk, and is able to tangle up his captor in the exchange.
Now You See Me 3 Must Bring Back 1 Cast Member The Franchise Abandoned
Now You See Me 3 is a chance to reunite the Four Horsemen and bring back one fan-favorite cast member that the franchise left out in the sequel.
5 The 7 Of Diamonds
Now You See Me (2013)
The very start of Now You See Me sees each member of the group receiving a mysterious invitation printed on a tarot card. As the film opens, introducing the Horsemen, Atlas is the first one to appear on-screen, performing for a small rooftop party. Speaking directly to the camera, the audience is invited to participate in the trick as Atlas quickly rifles through a deck of cards and instructs the viewer to pick one. Thanks to some movie magic, the intended card appears for just a frame or two longer than the others and thus stands out.
Anyone who subliminally picked up on this hint likely picked the seven of diamonds, as did the girl Atlas was performing to, and moments later, a skyscraper nearby lights up to reveal the chosen card. This trick plays out so well for multiple reasons. It’s simple, with a forcing technique to guide the choice, confidently executed, and played out with incredible style, using a building to make the reveal. Magic like this can be repeated in various forms and be just as impressive, but the delivery here elevates it and is the perfect start to a film about magic.
4 The Water Tank
Now You See Me (2013)
One of the most impressive tricks in the series also comes when introducing another character. When Henley is introduced, her skill as an escapologist is highlighted as she performs the death-defying water tank trick. Chained up without a key, Henley must escape from a locked box, or drown. As a matter of fact, when Isla Fisher was recording this stunt, one of the takes did end up malfunctioning, and she struggled to escape or convince the crew that she was really in trouble (via Daily Mail), but thankfully, she was fine, and the finished scene was perfect.
3 The Transporting Safe
Now You See Me (2013)
The trick that sets everything else in motion in Now You See Me is also easily one of the most impressive. As the Four Horsemen perform for a live audience, they pull in an audience member for one of their most astonishing tricks of the series. Replacing the old-fashioned cloths and mirrors, the magicians transport the volunteer on a platform in the middle of a circular stage with massive metal machines that snap closed. He reappears, with a live video link, in what appears to be a Parisian bank.
Now You See Me 3: 14 Rumors & Fan Theories About The New Movie
With the success of the first two Now You See Me movies, it’s not surprising that there will be another sequel, but many rumors surround its release.
The technicality of this trick, the execution, and the big reveal moment at the end when the man and money are transported back, with money flying freely into the audience’s hands, is nothing short of incredible. The trick is explained in greater detail, revealing that there was a technical explanation for pulling off the monumental heist, but the way that it was delivered with precision certainly adds to the overall quality. In addition, the pay-off, being a literal and metaphorical moment for the audience, was another big win.
2 Controlling The Rain
Now You See Me 2 (2016)
Possibly one of the least realistic tricks in the series, but also one of the most captivating, comes near the end of Now You See Me 2. Atlas and the rest of the Horsemen take over London for a series of shows, and Atlas performs an outstanding stunt, unlike any other trick in the series. Atlas literally begins to control the weather, causing the rain to act in impossible ways, stopping in the air, and even rising up, into the sky. This trick is evidently movie magic, but it’s easily one of the coolest tricks in the franchise.
1 The Card Trick Scene
Now You See Me 2 (2016)
While stopping the rain midair is tough to beat, the best trick in the series has to be the infamous “disappearing card” trick, which gets the entire team working together with incredible precision. When the Horsemen are trying to sneak away with a special computer chip that they have attached to the back of a playing card, the high-security team conducts a thorough search on each one of them to ensure they are not up to anything. In one of the most pleasing technical displays of cardistry, the team then pulls off a continuous series of outstanding sleight of hand.
While the actors did not perform every movement in the scene, each and every trick performed is technically possible. Doubtless, a master magician would require many hours of training to develop all of these techniques, and then three of their magic friends to pull it off, but the possibility for this trick to be real is there. From pinpoint accurate card throws, to sliding the card along their bodies, and carefully hiding it from view of the security guards, the trick is outstanding and the best continuous shot in all the Now You See Me movies.
Now You See Me 2
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
Now You See Me 2 is the followup to the 2013 mystery heist ensemble film that sees the return of the Four Horseman, a group of fugitive magicians that act as modern-day robin-hoods, giving the money to their audiences after their “performances.” In this sequel, the film follows FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes and Alma Dray, an Interpol agent tasked with proving the guilt of the Horseman – with minimal evidence at their disposal.
- Director
- Jon M. Chu
- Release Date
- June 10, 2016
- Studio(s)
- Lionsgate
- Distributor(s)
- Lionsgate
- Writers
- Ed Solomon
- Cast
- Woody Harrelson , Daniel Radcliffe , Lizzy Caplan , Jesse Eisenberg , Sanaa Lathan , Michael Caine , Dave Franco , Jay Chou , Morgan Freeman
- Runtime
- 130minutes
- Sequel(s)
- Now You See Me 3
- prequel(s)
- Now You See Me
- Budget
- $120 million
