History Film / NowYouSeeMe

Watch the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc here]]. A sequel, titled ''Film/NowYouSeeMe2'' was released in June, 2016. A second sequel, so far titled ''Now You See Me 3'', was announced in April 2020. After languishing in DevelopmentHell for a while, in April 2024 it was revealed that the third film was indeed going forward, with Creator/RubenFleischer (''Film/{{Venom|2018'', ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'') as director and most of the original cast returning (including Fisher as Henley after sitting the 2nd film out due to her pregnancy), as well as new additions Creator/ArianaGreenblatt, Creator/JusticeSmith, and Dominic Sessa (''Film/TheHoldovers'').

Watch the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc here]]. A sequel, titled ''Film/NowYouSeeMe2'' was released in June, 2016. A second sequel, so far titled ''Now You See Me 3'', was announced in April 2020. After languishing in DevelopmentHell for a while, in April 2024 it was revealed that the third film was indeed going forward, with Creator/RubenFleischer (''Film/{{Venom}}'', ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'') as director and most of the original cast returning (including Fisher as Henley after sitting the 2nd film out due to her pregnancy), as well as new additions Creator/ArianaGreenblatt, Creator/JusticeSmith, and Dominic Sessa (''Film/TheHoldovers'').

Watch the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc here]]. A sequel, titled ''Film/NowYouSeeMe2'' was released in June, 2016. A second sequel, so far titled ''Now You See Me 3'', was announced in April 2020. After languishing in DevelopmentHell for a while, in April 2024 it was revealed that the third film was indeed going forward, with Ruben Fleischer (''Film/{{Venom}}'', ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'') as director and most of the original cast returning (including Fisher as Henley after sitting the 2nd film out due to her pregnancy), as well as new additions Creator/ArianaGreenblatt, Creator/JusticeSmith, and Dominic Sessa (''Film/TheHoldovers'').

Watch the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc here]]. A sequel, titled ''Film/NowYouSeeMe2'' was released in June, 2016. A second sequel, so far titled ''Now You See Me 3'', was announced in April 2020. After languishing in DevelopmentHell for a while, in April 2024 it was revealed that the third film was indeed going forward, with Ruben Fleischer (''Film/{{Venom}}'', ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'') as director and most of the original cast returning (including Fisher as Henley after sitting the sequel out due to her pregnancy), as well as new additions Creator/ArianaGreenblatt, Creator/JusticeSmith, and Dominic Sessa (''Film/TheHoldovers'').

Half-finished [[Characters/NowYouSeeMe Character Page]] desperately needs more love.

Watch the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc here]]. A sequel, titled ''Film/NowYouSeeMe2'' was released in June, 2016. A second sequel, so far titled ''Now You See Me 3'', was announced in April 2020. After languishing in DevelopmentHell for a while, in April 2024 it was revealed that the third film was indeed going forward, with Ruben Fleischer (''Film/{{Venom}}'', ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'') as director and most of the original cast returning (including Fisher returning as Henley), as well as new additions Creator/ArianaGreenblatt, Creator/JusticeSmith, and Dominic Sessa (''Film/TheHoldovers'').

Watch the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc here]]. A sequel, titled ''Film/NowYouSeeMe2'' was released in June, 2016. A second sequel, so far titled ''Now You See Me 3'', has been announced in April 2020. In April 2024, it was announced that the third film was indeed going forward, with Ruben Fleischer (''Film/{{Venom}}'', ''Film/{{Zombieland}}'') as director and most of the original cast returning, as well as new additions Creator/ArianaGreenblatt, Creator/JusticeSmith, and Dominic Sessa (''Film/TheHoldovers'').

Watch the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc here]]. A sequel, titled ''Film/NowYouSeeMe2'' was released in June, 2016. A second sequel, so far titled ''Now You See Me 3'', has been announced in April 2020. In April 2024, it was announced that the third film was indeed going forward, with Ruben Fleischer (Film/{{Venom}}, Film/{{Zombieland}}) as director and most of the original cast returning, as well as new additions Creator/ArianaGreenblatt, Creator/JusticeSmith, and Dominic Sessa (Film/TheHoldovers).

Watch the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc here]]. A sequel, titled ''Film/NowYouSeeMe2'' was released in June, 2016. A second sequel, so far titled ''Now You See Me 3'', has been announced in April 2020. In April 2024, it was announced that the third film was indeed going forward, with Ruben Fleischer ( Film/Venom, Film/Zombieland ) as director and most of the original cast returning, as well as new additions Creator/ArianaGreenblatt, Creator/JusticeSmith, and Dominic Sessa (Film/TheHoldovers).

Watch the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc here]]. A sequel, titled ''Film/NowYouSeeMe2'' was released in June, 2016. A second sequel, so far titled ''Now You See Me 3'', has been announced in April 2020. In April 2024, it was announced that the third film was indeed going forward, with Ruben Fleischer (Film/Venom, Film/Zombieland) as director and most of the original cast returning, as well as new additions Creator/ArianaGreenblatt, Creator/JusticeSmith, and Dominic Sessa (Film/TheHoldovers).

Watch the trailer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzJNYYkkhzc here]]. A sequel, titled ''Film/NowYouSeeMe2'' was released in June, 2016. A second sequel, so far titled ''Now You See Me 3'', has been announced in April 2020.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: Arthur Tressler.

The film is about a group of Myth/RobinHood-style magicians called the [[HorsemenOfTheApocalypse Four Horsemen]], comprised of J. Daniel Atlas (Creator/JesseEisenberg), a professional street magician who specializes in escalating card tricks; Merritt [=McKinney=] (Creator/WoodyHarrelson), a hypnotist, mentalist and mind reader; Henley Reeves (Creator/IslaFisher), an escape artist; and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), a street artist, voice imitator and MasterOfUnlocking. They use their illusions to steal money and give it to their audience despite the impossibility of it. As they become more infamous, an FBI agent and an Interpol detective chase after them.

The film is about a group of Myth/RobinHood-style magicians called the Four Horsemen, comprised of J. Daniel Atlas (Creator/JesseEisenberg), a professional street magician who specializes in escalating card tricks; Merritt [=McKinney=] (Creator/WoodyHarrelson), a hypnotist, mentalist and mind reader; Henley Reeves (Creator/IslaFisher), an escape artist; and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), a street artist, voice imitator and MasterOfUnlocking. They use their illusions to steal money and give it to their audience despite the impossibility of it. As they become more infamous, an FBI agent and an Interpol detective chase after them.

* ColdReading: [[PhonyPsychic Merritt]] guesses Henley's name right on their first encounter only to be exposed by Atlas who notes that the name was written on her coffee cup.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: Almost everyone, but J. Daniel Atlas and Jack Wilder are particularly epic, even if the former is possibly a stage name.

* ArtifactTitle: Consciously averted when referring to the Four Horsemen after [[spoiler:Jack's (supposed) death]]; the remaining magicians, the FBI, and various newscasters all start referring to Daniel, Henley, and Merrit as simply "the Horsemen". Played straight when a few of the TV screens after their last escape still refer to them as the "4 Horsemen".

* ControlFreak: Discussed. Both Henley and Merrit believe Daniel to be this.

** Jack's introduction foreshadows a lot of his role in the plot. First, he is not introduced as a magician, but as thief, with his goal being picking pockets and not the performance, plus he is the one that picks the lock on the door (Merrit does blackmail his audience, but it's still during the performance itself). His con also relies on being found out and exposed. [[spoiler: He is the one of the four that is discovered by the police, he pretends to fail at escaping, and he is the one stealing from the vault while the other three go on with the act.]]

** Merrit is playing a French Policeman stopping the money truck as showing in Bradley's UnfoldingPlanMontage.

* TakenOffTheCase: Agent Rhodes is taken off the "Four Horsemen case" after having failed repeatedly to get hold of the protagonists and even having [[UnwittingPawn unwittingly helped them]] getting access to classified information. It's later revealed that [[spoiler: Rhodes himself was the BiggerBad and faked his ineptness to let the Horsemen accomplish their goals]].

It is about a group of Myth/RobinHood-style magicians called the Four Horsemen. The Horsemen are J. Daniel Atlas (Creator/JesseEisenberg), a professional street magician who specializes in escalating card tricks; Merritt [=McKinney=] (Creator/WoodyHarrelson), a hypnotist, mentalist and mind reader; Henley Reeves (Creator/IslaFisher), an escape artist and the sole woman in the troupe; and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), a street artist, voice imitator and MasterOfUnlocking. They use their illusions to steal money and give it to their audience despite the impossibility of it. As they become more infamous, an FBI agent and an Interpol detective chase after them.

!!This film provides examples of:

* AgentScully: FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes is quite skeptical about magic compared to [[AgentMulder his partner Alma Dray]]. [[spoiler: Subverted, as he secretly is a magician himself and his attitude towards it is part of his facade]].

* AnonymousBenefactor: A mysterious benefactor brought the Four Horsemen together and gave them everything they needed. In the end, they find out it's [[spoiler: federal Agent Rhodes who was pursuing them for most of the film]].

* AntiVillain: The Four Horsemen at least believe they're JustLikeRobinHood, unaware that they are just patsies in [[spoiler: Rhodes' {{revenge}} plot]].

** [[spoiler: Taking the twist into account, this makes the line doubly hilarious ''and'' doubly awesome, it's even [[{{LampshadeHanging}} lampshaded]] in the end reveal.]]

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Bradley wanted fame and money. [[spoiler: He got both (being framed for the heists and the Four Horsemen piling the money into his car) in the end, but not in the way he wanted.]]

--> '''Rhodes''': Really? Could you be anymore of a condescending ass?
--> '''Bradley''': Yes.

* CarChase: Through NYC. It ends deadly for [[spoiler: Jack Wilder. Or so you would think.]]

** Lionel Shrike's trick of the card in the tree, and the briefly mentioned nearby carousel. At the end, it's where [[spoiler: the Four Horsemen meet Dylan, who reveals himself to be the one behind everything and welcomes them to The Eye]].

* ComplexityAddiction: The Four Horsemen's plans are insanely overcomplicated, given the simplicity of their true goals. This is part of the idea, though; the motive wasn't just simple robbery, but to make sure the ones being robbed knew who did it and couldn't prove how. Which is also in line with stage magicians' M.O.: they use tricks that use insanely complicated procedures to produce relatively simple results because no one would believe anyone would go to that much trouble for a simple magic trick.

* DeathByOriginStory: Shrike's son [[spoiler: avenging his father's death]] builds the framework for the plot.

* DecoyProtagonist: Contrary to what the advertising suggests, the Four Horsemen aren't the leads, Agent Dylan Rhodes is, though they (and Thaddeus Bradley, for that matter) are {{Deuteragonist}}s. [[spoiler: Taken to a new level when you learn that Dylan is the fifth Horseman.]]
* DisproportionateRetribution: [[spoiler: Rhodes allows Bradley's framing to stand, possibly causing him to spend the rest of his life in jail, because Bradley ruined the career of Lionel Shrike (Rhodes' father), which led to an attempted comeback trick that went wrong, killing him.]]

** Arthur brags that he has a huge bank account and threatens to "manacle" Thaddeus with so many injunctions. [[spoiler: The Horsemen distributes Arthur's $140M bank account to the audience, revealed to be policyholders of Tressler's Insurance that were loopholed after Hurricane Katrina.]]

*** Averted later when the four characters are arrested and interrogated but we only see Daniel's and Merritt's interrogations.

-->'''Conan O'Brien:''' Remember, if the oxygen mask comes down, put it on the lawyer first. Remember.
-->'''Arthur Tressler:''' Oh, yes. I always do. It's the lawyer first, then myself, and then the children.

** When Merritt's reading Rhodes, he mentions that he has "daddy issues" [[spoiler: hinting at his being the BigBad on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge]]

** Alma's explanation of Lionel Shrike's trick of the card encased in glass in a 20-year old tree, and how you have to be able to look far into the past to deduce how it was done. In the same way, [[spoiler: you only understand the motivation behind everything that the Horsemen do and everyone they target if you look far enough back- to Lionel Shrike's death, specifically]].
** During his interrogation, Daniel Atlas smugly tells Dylan that the first rule of magic is to be the smartest one in the room. [[spoiler: Turns out, Dylan really was the smartest one in that room, being the mastermind behind everything.]]
* {{Frameup}}: [[spoiler:Bradley is being put behind bars - possibly for life - for a crime he hasn't committed.]]
* {{Foil}}: Thaddeus to the FBI [[spoiler: though the tables turn towards the end]]

** [[spoiler: When the Horsemen first meet in the NYC apartment and see the holographic schematics, the name TRESSLER briefly appears.]]

** The Horsemen's scheme is planned down to the last detail [[spoiler: all so that Dylan can get revenge on the people he holds responsible for his father's death.]]

* GenreBlind: Rhodes continually takes on the Horsemen on like regular criminals and keeps playing into their hands by refusing to think how a magician would. [[spoiler: Or so everyone thinks. Once you've seen the ending twist, the trope is subverted. See ObfuscatingStupidity]].

--> '''Henley:''' It doesn't take a mentalist to figure that out. You are a control freak.\\

* InfractionDistraction: Thaddeus Bradley pulls this trick during the first show when he pretends to film the act with his mobile phone which then gets confiscated by the security guard. Bradley continues filming with his second camera.
* InspectorLestrade: Dylan. His own deduction skills are not good enough for this case, so he seeks help from Bradley.
* InsufferableGenius: Just about everyone in the movie, though Atlas and Bradley stand out.

** [[OnceMoreWithClarity As we later learn]], [[spoiler: Dylan]] is the hooded guy observing the Horsemen in the beginning.

* ItsAlwaysMardiGrasInNewOrleans: When the movie shifts to New Orleans for Act II, sure enough...
** Justified in that the heist ''would'' be planned for that time, to ensure a thick crowd to hide in.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Daniel's card trick in the opening is filmed from the perspective of the woman he's showing it to. Not only does she play into it, a large portion of the viewers are also going to end up picking the same card[[note]]Specifically because the deck is designed to force the viewer to pick the seven of diamonds; there are multiple seven of diamond cards placed in a row, so when he flips it slowly the seven is visible much longer than the rest of the cards are[[/note]].

* MsFanservice: Averted for most of the movie with Henley (who got her start as an assistant, where part of her job was presumably to invoke this trope). For most of the movie, short skirts are her limit. Played straight in her introduction shot, which features her stripping into a glittery swimsuit for an escape act (justified, as the danger of the trick is more believable when she's more exposed/vulnerable).[[note]]Note, that in the original draft of the script, there was [[ChromosomeCasting no female]] in the Four Horsemen.[[/note]]

** [[spoiler:"The incompetence displayed in this investigation is a magic trick in and of itself..." - Yes it is.]]

* PayEvilUntoEvil: On the one hand, the Eye ''are'' stealing money, and while they don't go out of their way to hurt people, many of their heists ''did'' put innocents at risk, particular [[spoiler:the car chase]], and [[spoiler: the Fifth Horseman is just lashing out at anyone remotely connected to his father's death, regardless of their actual involvement]]. On the other hand, their targets aren't saints themselves, being [[spoiler:the man who destroyed the Fifth Horseman's father's career, the insurance company that refused to pay out on Shrike's life insurance, and the safe company whose sub-standard safe making played a role in Shrike's death.]]

** Daniel's opening scene, where the girl picks a card - and Daniel makes it appear in lights on the side of the John Hancock Center.

* PlotHole: [[spoiler: They did a nice job of explaining how they pulled off the first bank heist from Vegas using flash paper leaving no trace. But they didn't explain how they would have ignited said flash paper. Something would have been left behind, disproving their "magic".]]

** While the Horsemen are scrambling on realizing the FBI's gotten ahead of them, we get a brief shot of one of their "recruitment" Tarot cards - specifically, [[spoiler:XIII Death, which was Jack's recruitment card. Given the pre-existing overuse of Death as cheap {{doomy|DoomsOfDoom}} {{foreshadowing}}, it's easy to believe that Jack dies in the ensuing car chase.]]

** It's repeatedly mentioned that, when Lionel Shrike died, they NeverFoundTheBody, clearly teasing the possibility that he's still alive, and behind the whole thing. [[spoiler: Turns out he's actually dead, but his son is still out there.]]

* TheReveal: This being a movie about magic tricks, there are several Reveals, mainly pertaining to said magic tricks but including the tricks of [[spoiler: Wilder's "death" and [[TheDogWasTheMastermind Rhodes's fake identity]].]]

* SecretKeeper: [[spoiler: At the end, after finding out Dylan was the fifth Horseman, Alma locks the secret up and throws away the key.]]

* ShipTease: Danny and Henley were apparently involved at one point in the past; Henley got her start as a magician with a job as Danny's assistant. [[spoiler: In their final scene, they ambiguously join hands before hopping on the carousel.]] A couple of the deleted scenes emphasized their connection further, but also leaned more on Danny's awkwardness and emotional unavailability. The sequel [[spoiler: seems to confirm their relationship after the fact given Lula's wording when mentioning Henley leaving and Danny's reaction, but it is never made explicit.]]

** When Creator/MorganFreeman says, "These bars give a man time to think"... He says the same line in ''Film/TheShawshankRedemption''.

* SmugSnake[=/=]SmugSmiler: Daniel Atlas and Thaddeus Bradley both infuriate people for how smug they act. To be fair, though, their smugness is usually justified.

* TarotMotifs: The Eye first contacts the Horsemen by giving them tarot cards -- The Lovers (Daniel), The High Priestess (Henley), The Hermit (Merritt), and Death (Jack). [[spoiler: This extends to Dylan, the "fifth Horseman," who Thaddeus repeatedly calls 'The Fool' -- particularly right before the big reveal. His actual card is the King of Swords. This represents him being a man with an idea, and not being afraid to hurt his victims]].

%%WildGooseChase
* YouKilledMyFather: [[spoiler:Dylan's main motivation, both for framing Thaddeus and for choosing all of the Four Horsemen's other targets, though none of them actually killed his father, who was responsible for his own death. Thaddeus exposed Lionel Shrike's magic act and humiliated him, causing him to attempt the trick that got him killed and Elkhorn manufactured the safe used in the trick which, due to the intentionally inferior materials and construction, warped after sinking into the water, trapping Lionel inside, and Tressler Insurance, which refused to pay out the coverage on Shrike's life-insurance policy because no one could procure Lionel's body.]]

* YourCheatingHeart: Merritt hypnotizes a woman in his introductory scene and makes her do a couple of typical "hypnotized person" things, but it's [[spoiler: her husband that is his target. While his wife is still hypnotized, he uses his ability to read people to sniff out an affair the husband had with his sister-in-law. He hustles the husband for all the cash he has in him in order to make his wife forget the entire conversation. Then he tells the husband that from now on whenever he thinks of his sister-in-law, he will instead picture Merritt naked]].

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Daniel's card trick in the opening is filmed from the perspective of the woman he's showing it to. Not only does she play into it, a large portion of the viewers are also going to end up picking the same card.

** The first scene -- Henley [[DrowningPit drowning in a water tank]] while a bystander tries to break the tank with a metal bar but fails -- is obviously an homage to a similar scene in ''Film/ThePrestige''.