| 1 | !!'''Warning! This page contains huge spoilers. Proceed at your own risk.''' |
| 2 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 3 | !The Four Horsemen |
| 4 | [[folder:General]] |
| 5 | A crack-team of illusionists, mentalists and stage-magicians who use their particular set of skills to pull off elaborate heists in a Robin Hood-esque means of exposing corruption. |
| 6 | ---- |
| 7 | * CaperCrew: While [[spoiler:Dylan Shrike]] is the Mastermind, having anonymously recruited the other members and planned out every step of their original grift, the Horsemen don't follow the typical ensemble and are instead a team of Thieving-Skill Roles, each of them switching between roles depending on the moment. |
| 8 | * CaperRationalization: As is fitting for members of The Eye, all of their victims were guilty of some great injustice, their act both meant to redistribute their stolen wealth or humiliate them in some way. |
| 9 | * KarmicThief: The Horsemen may be a bunch of thieves and conmen who stage elaborate heists, but their victims are extremely wealthy and just as corrupt [[spoiler:as is the mission statement of The Eye.]] |
| 10 | * TarotMotifs: Each of the Horsemen (sans Lula) are associated with a specific card: |
| 11 | ** Atlas is The Lovers; he discovers the card when he is about to have a one-night stand with an audience girl and he is the most emotional of the group, having a rocky relationship with Henley and is the most conflicted in the sequel as his role as a member of The Eye. |
| 12 | ** Henley is The High Priestess; representing common sense, sound judgement, and a strong feminine influence. |
| 13 | ** Merritt is The Hermit; associated with introspection and philosophical searches. Fitting for a man whose specialization is reading people. |
| 14 | ** Jack is Death; he fakes his death midway through the first film, and as the card represents drastic, transitional change in life, he goes from being the least-experienced of the Horsemen to their equal. |
| 15 | ** In the sequel, Dylan is routinely equated with The Fool; a card representing unlimited potential. |
| 16 | [[/folder]] |
| 17 | [[folder:J. Daniel Atlas]] |
| 18 | !!!The Lover |
| 19 | [[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/87499_037_9435.jpg]] |
| 20 | [[caption-width-right:320:"Always be the smartest guy in the room."]] |
| 21 | |
| 22 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JesseEisenberg |
| 23 | |
| 24 | One-fourth of the Four Horsemen, previously a street magician. He has previous ties with fellow Horseman Henley Reeves, and seems to be the somewhat leader of the group. At first glance, Atlas seems to be a SmugSnake who enjoys pissing other people off ([[BrickJoke ...and that's it]]). |
| 25 | ---- |
| 26 | * AntiHero: Along with the rest of the Four Horsemen. They're on the run from the police, they rob banks - but they never keep a single cent for themselves. This is emphasised a lot more in the sequel wherein the Horsemen are presented as JustLikeRobinHood, stealing from low life scum and exposing people who take advantage of the less fortunate (it helps that the people the Horseman target in the sequel are [[AssholeVictim much more deserving of their fates]]). |
| 27 | * AntiVillain: Also along with the rest of the Four Horsemen. They're still criminals who steal money and ruin a man's life, for crimes the owners of that money and the man whose life they ruined had nothing to do with. |
| 28 | * BadassBoast |
| 29 | ** "First rule of magic: Always be the smartest guy in the room." |
| 30 | ** "No matter what you think you might know, we will always be one step, three steps, ''seven'' steps ahead of you and just when you think you're catching up, that's when we'll be right behind you. And at no time will you be anywhere other than exactly where I want you to be, so come close. Get all over me because the closer you think you are, the less you'll actually see." |
| 31 | * BatmanGambit: After boasting that he could read people as well as Merritt, he totally botches a read of Tressler, failing to get ''anything'' even remotely right- place of birth, mother's maiden name, first pet's name, anything. Tressler smirkingly corrects him. [[spoiler: And therefore gives him the answers to the most commonly asked 'security questions' on his bank account. Indeed, the gambit goes even deeper, as he was loudly offering to demonstrate his skills on the other Horsemen, betting that Tressler would pipe up and offer to be read- thus setting himself up to be conned.]] |
| 32 | * BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible: Is full of snark and cockiness when Dylan tries to interrogate him. |
| 33 | * BrickJoke: Henley's weight. It's implied that she broke up with him/resigned from being his assistant because he called her fat for not being able to fit through a trapdoor, while another girl, Rebecca, could. |
| 34 | ** Later on, when he catches her after she falls from her bubble: |
| 35 | -->'''Danny:''' Oh, so you have lost some weight. |
| 36 | * CardSharp: He pulls off some mean card tricks, sometimes works alone, and [[spoiler:used his sleight-of-hand to secretly and quickly switch Dylan's phone with a replacement hacked phone.]] |
| 37 | ** [[spoiler:However, Dylan knew the whole time.]] |
| 38 | * {{Catchphrase}}: "The closer you think you are, the less you'll actually see." |
| 39 | * CharacterDevelopment: In the original movie Danny is constantly smug and assured of himself due to the Horseman's plans all going the way they intended and never fully learns how to work together with the team (to the point that, it's implied, that Henley left the team due to his controlling attitude). However in the sequel, after eating some HumblePie (specifically TheReveal that [[spoiler:he was being used unintentionally as TheMole for the BigBad all along]]), Danny learns to be more of a team player and wiling to [[spoiler:follow Dylan's lead.]] |
| 40 | * ChickMagnet: Henley is attracted to him, along with that random girl that he almost had sex with. Plus, the slow but sure EstrogenBrigade fanbase that's building up. |
| 41 | * ConMan: Along with the other Horsemen. |
| 42 | * ControlFreak: Reportedly the reason Henley left the Horsemen. |
| 43 | * DeadpanSnarker: As expected from [[Creator/JesseEisenberg Ol' Eisenberg]]. |
| 44 | * DecoyProtagonist: He's the main attraction in most of the movie posters, and Jesse Eisenberg also gets top billing, but the true main character is Dylan Rhodes, though it isn't surprising that many mistake Daniel Atlas for it. |
| 45 | * {{Deuteragonist}}: Alongside the chief investigator for the Horsemen's crimes, he's the closest to a main character, being the de facto leader of the Four Horsemen. |
| 46 | * DisappearingBox: One of his magic tricks with Henley in which they both make a rabbit disappear inside the box. It turned out to be a mirror placed inside the box. [[spoiler:Comes back as a huge plot twist in the climax.]] |
| 47 | * DudeWheresMyRespect: In the sequel Danny becomes resentful of [[spoiler:The Eye]] due to living underground for a year after the events of the original movie to the point that he [[spoiler:openly complains to a representative of The Eye that he should be the leader of the Horseman and not Dylan.]] This entitlement comes back to bite him on the ass since [[spoiler:The Eye representative was actually the movie's BigBad using Danny to get information on Dylan and the rest of the Horseman.]] This experience ends up humbling Danny real quick. |
| 48 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: He seems to pull off a single, simple card trick. And then a whole building lights up. |
| 49 | * FallingIntoHisArms: He caught Henley in the nick of time after [[ItMakesSenseInContext the giant bubble she was floating in was burst by a chandelier]]. |
| 50 | %%* TheHero |
| 51 | * InsufferableGenius: |
| 52 | -->'''Merritt:''' When I first met you, I thought you were a dick.\ |
| 53 | '''Daniel:''' [''[[{{Beat}} beat]]'']\ |
| 54 | '''Henley:''' [''[[{{Beat}} beat]]''] And?\ |
| 55 | '''Merritt:''' No, no- that's it. |
| 56 | * ItHasBeenAnHonor: With the other Horsemen near the end of the movie. |
| 57 | %%* JerkAss |
| 58 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Despite his condescending attitude to nearly everyone he encounters, during their video in the aftermath [[spoiler:Jack's death]], he chokes up slightly and Merrit has to continue for him. [[spoiler:It's all part of the act, of course, since Jack's death was faked- but during the conversation in the elevator to the roof, he seems to express a genuine fondness for the other Horsemen.]] |
| 59 | * JustLikeRobinHood[=/=]KarmicThief: They steal from the rich and give to the poor. Classic Robin Hood. |
| 60 | %%* TheLeader |
| 61 | * MagicWand: {{Subverted}} when he performs the DisappearingBox trick with Henley. He pulls out his magic wand and promptly tosses it away, claiming it has no use in the trick. |
| 62 | * NotMeThisTime: When Henley asks him whether he was the one who set up the meeting of the Four Horsemen. |
| 63 | * PickACard: His EstablishingCharacterMoment has him pull a expertly-planned card trick to impress a girl. |
| 64 | * RelationshipUpgrade: [[spoiler: He and Henley hold hands before jumping onto the carousel that will take them to the Eye.]] Furthermore, they somewhat admit their feelings for each other before their last show, while Merritt says that everything was getting too sentimental for him. |
| 65 | * SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: Earlier on in the movie, both he and Henley deny that they were in a relationship when Merritt points out the obvious tension between them. |
| 66 | ** Even though he denies it, he sees to still have some feelings for her, depicted when he immediately gets jealous on seeing Henley laugh with Merritt. |
| 67 | ** [[spoiler:He and Henley hold hands before hopping onto the carousel at the end of the movie.]] |
| 68 | * ShipTease: With Henley. They seem to have been involved sometime in the past, until Danny called her fat for not being able to fit through a trapdoor while ''Rebecca fit for a year''. |
| 69 | ** They always seem to be paired together, like during their show in New Orleans, and during their heist to steal the transported money, in which they would have been alone ''lying in an enclosed space for an indefinite amount of time''. ShipTease for the fans? I think so. |
| 70 | ** During the show in New Orleans, one part of their act involves Henley floating above the audience in a soap bubble, until the bubble pops — and she promptly falls into whose arms? Yes, Danny's. |
| 71 | *** Though FridgeLogic does make it obvious that Danny and Henley would do the more complicated two person work - due to having worked together in the past, their teamwork would need a lot less practice than the others. |
| 72 | * SmugSnake: Just look at that smile. |
| 73 | * StageMagician: They're all masters of performance magic in some form or another. |
| 74 | %%* TallDarkAndHandsome |
| 75 | %%* TallDarkAndSnarky |
| 76 | * TarotMotifs: His card is The Lovers. Henley promptly [[CoughSnarkCough coughs out "three minutes" when he presents it]]. |
| 77 | * WillTheyOrWontThey: With Henley. |
| 78 | * UnresolvedSexualTension: With Henley, as every. |
| 79 | [[/folder]] |
| 80 | [[folder:Henley Reeves]] |
| 81 | !!!The High Priestess |
| 82 | [[quoteright:318:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2013-06-09_at_9_36_18_pm_3668.png]] |
| 83 | [[caption-width-right:318:"So, which one of you gentlemen is going to help us with our bags?"]] |
| 84 | |
| 85 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/IslaFisher |
| 86 | |
| 87 | The second Horseman, and the group's female member. Was previously J. Daniel Atlas' assistant, until she quit to become a solo act. (Also because he called her fat. ''Once''.) Other than Atlas, Henley is closest to Merritt in the group. |
| 88 | ---- |
| 89 | * AffablyEvil: She is a thief, but a sweet and charming one at that. See the image caption to the right which is during their arrest. |
| 90 | * BrickJoke: Her weight, or at least Daniel's perception of it. |
| 91 | * ConspicuousGloves: Other than her opening scene (where she has to pick locks while underwater), she's always wearing a pair. |
| 92 | * CoughSnarkCough: At the reveal of Danny's card, she promptly coughs out "three minutes". |
| 93 | * EscapeArtist: Her opening stunt where she is locked up in a water tank filled with piranhas and is eaten alive by them. [[OffscreenTeleportation She appears moments later outside the tank.]] |
| 94 | -->'''Henley:''' [[HypocriticalHumor Come on! This is bullshit!]] [[SelfDeprecation Whoever thought of this trick is a sick sadist!]] |
| 95 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: In the beginning, Henley is chained in a tank of water with a cage of piranhas above her, timed to open if she doesn't make it out of the tank within a minute. She gets stuck, and then manages to disentangle herself — just in time for the cage to open and for flesh-eating piranhas to crash down on her. The water turns red, and then Henley herself emerges, miraculously unhurt, from the booing crowd. |
| 96 | * FieryRedhead: Is notably feisty and blunt with her words. |
| 97 | %%* TheHeart |
| 98 | * ItHasBeenAnHonor: With the other Horsemen near the end. |
| 99 | * JustLikeRobinHood: They steal from the rich and give to the poor. Classic Robin Hood. |
| 100 | * MsFanservice: Mostly averted. |
| 101 | ** Played straight in her introduction shot, which features her stripping into a glittery swimsuit for an escape act. Subverted as the act would be more effective if she was showing more skin. |
| 102 | * PutOnABus: She left the group between the films due to not being able to deal with Atlas anymore. |
| 103 | * RelationshipUpgrade: She and Danny hold hands before jumping onto the carousel that will take them to the Eye. |
| 104 | * ShipTease: With Danny. They seem to have been involved sometime in the past, until Danny called her fat for not being able to fit through a trapdoor while ''Rebecca fit for a year''. |
| 105 | ** They always seem to be paired together, like during their show in New Orleans, and during their heist to steal the transported money, in which they would have been alone ''lying in an enclosed space for an indefinite amount of time''. |
| 106 | ** During the show in New Orleans, one part of their act involved Henley floating above the audience in a soap bubble, until the bubble pops — and she promptly falls into Danny's arm. |
| 107 | * SmugSnake: Not as much as Danny but definitely there - she is very smug while [[spoiler:robbing Tressler.]] |
| 108 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple: She is the only member of the Horsemen who is a woman, and the only main female character in the movie asides from Alma. |
| 109 | * StageMagician: Like the others. |
| 110 | * TarotMotifs: Her card is The High Priestess, representing common sense, sound judgement, and a strong feminine influence. |
| 111 | * TokenGoodTeammate: Sort of: She's the only Horseman who doesn't have a career in hustling or crime. She's pretty catty, though. |
| 112 | * UnresolvedSexualTension: With Danny. |
| 113 | * WillTheyOrWontThey: With Danny. |
| 114 | * WrittenInAbsence: Due to Isla Fisher's pregnancy, Henley is said to have left the Horsemen in the sequel, having "growing tired of waiting," and The Eye just gives her the leave. Taking her place is Lula May. |
| 115 | [[/folder]] |
| 116 | |
| 117 | [[folder:Merritt [=McKinney=]]] |
| 118 | !!!The Hermit |
| 119 | [[quoteright:322:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2013-06-10_at_3_52_27_pm_2275.png]] |
| 120 | |
| 121 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/WoodyHarrelson |
| 122 | |
| 123 | The third Horseman; his specialty is hypnotism, and he's even called a mentalist. Enjoys making fun of Danny to no end and seems close to Henley as well. |
| 124 | ---- |
| 125 | * AlliterativeName: '''M'''erritt '''M'''[=cKinney=]. |
| 126 | * BatmanGambit: His "magic" relies to an extent on people's reactions and their behaviour; his hypnotism trick in New Orleans relies wholly on the fact that Rhodes would shout "FREEZE!", despite being part of the audience and being aware of the trick he had set up. |
| 127 | ** [[spoiler:Of course, Rhodes, being the Fifth Horseman, knew all about the trick and triggered it on purpose.]] |
| 128 | * BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible: Loves to play with everyone's minds while he is being interrogated. Including those who aren't currently in the room. |
| 129 | -->"The FBI has a long history of men in dresses! No shame!" ''[snaps fingers sassily]'' |
| 130 | * BrickJoke: His victims thinking they're part of a symphony orchestra on hearing the word "bullshit". |
| 131 | ** "FREEZE!" ''"QUARTERBACK!"'' |
| 132 | * ConMan: He hypnotizes people into revealing secrets in front of their spouses and then blackmails them in exchange for said spouse not remembering. |
| 133 | * DeadpanSnarker: Almost every line he has is a dry, witty remark. |
| 134 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: Right at the start of the movie, he exposes a man's extramarital affair with his wife's sister, and accepts two hundred dollars to hypnotize her to forget having known. |
| 135 | -->"You weren't away on business, you were away on ''Janet''!" |
| 136 | ** He also hypnotizes the man into thinking of him (Merritt) naked instead whenever the man thinks of his mistress. |
| 137 | * JustLikeRobinHood: They steal from the rich and give to the poor. Classic Robin Hood. |
| 138 | * LivingLieDetector: Not only is he able to detect lies, he also ''reads people'', right down to the slightest of body language, in order to "read their minds". |
| 139 | * MatchmakerCrush: {{Downplayed}}, but despite being something of a ShipperOnDeck for Danny and Henley (see below), he's not above hitting on Henley himself when she's getting nowhere with Danny. |
| 140 | * OutOfFocus: Out of all the four Horsemen, he is definitely the one out of focus. He gets better in the sequel considering that his twin brother happens to be the movie's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. |
| 141 | * SelfDeprecation: The first to kick his ego to the curb, and jokingly considers himself a "never-was" when referred to as a "has-been". Also see under the Understatement tag. |
| 142 | * ShipperOnDeck: Seems to be one for Danny and Henley; he's always bringing up their relationship whenever they're around. |
| 143 | * SouthernFriedGenius: He's a trained and very skilled hypnotist and con artists with Woody Harrelson's famous Texas drawl. |
| 144 | * TallDarkAndSnarky: Tall, yes. Snarky, definitely. Dark — hard to tell, since he doesn't even have any hair, but an old promotion picture seems too imply that he was a dark blonde once. |
| 145 | * TarotMotifs: His card is The Hermit, associated with introspection and philosophical searches. Fitting for a man whose specialization is reading people. |
| 146 | * ThirdWheel: After [[spoiler:Jack "dies"]], he seems to be this for Henley and Daniel. |
| 147 | * TriggerPhrase: The victims of his hypnotism seem to think they're members of the Philharmonic Orchestra whenever the word "bullshit" is mentioned, which happens more often than you'd think. |
| 148 | * {{Understatement}}: |
| 149 | -->'''Merritt:''' Every time you see or even think of Janet, you're gonna picture me naked. And that's not a pretty sight. |
| 150 | -->'''Man:''' ''Yeah.'' |
| 151 | [[/folder]] |
| 152 | [[folder:Jack Wilder]] |
| 153 | !!!Death |
| 154 | [[quoteright:348:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/screen_shot_2013-06-10_at_5_59_19_pm_5965.png]] |
| 155 | [[caption-width-right:348:"Nothing's ever locked."]] |
| 156 | |
| 157 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DaveFranco |
| 158 | |
| 159 | The fourth and youngest Horseman, as well as the one with the least experience at the time of their recruitment. Treated like a TagalongKid by the other Horsemen, his forte is throwing cards, picking pockets, and imitating the voices of others. |
| 160 | ---- |
| 161 | * ChaseScene: While on the run from the FBI. |
| 162 | * ConMan: He's a pickpocket and uses his magic tricks to distract them. |
| 163 | * DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:His car exploding is played like a real death, and we see the other Horsemen's "reactions" to it.]] |
| 164 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: In the beginning, he promises a hundred dollars to anybody who can tell him how his trick works. Someone uncovers his secret, and he promptly pickpockets that guy, proceeding to pay the guy in ''his own money''. Then, he makes a break for it. |
| 165 | * FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:While being pursued by the FBI, the Horsemen switch the car he was in with an identical model containing a cadaver. The replacement car blows up, leading everyone else to believe that Jack was dead while he went to retrieve the safe.]] |
| 166 | * FiveFingerDiscount: He pickpockets a guy at the very beginning in his EstablishingCharacterMoment. |
| 167 | * ImprobableWeaponUser: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Rhodes, when Jack pulls out handfuls of playing cards during their fight. |
| 168 | -->'''Jack:''' ''[holds out playing cards like a weapon]''\ |
| 169 | '''Rhodes:''' ''Really?''\ |
| 170 | '''Jack:''' Yep. |
| 171 | * ImprovisedWeapon: In that same fight, he also utilizes a wet wash rag, a garbage disposal, a belt (stolen off the other agent), flash paper, and a set of curtains. |
| 172 | * JustLikeRobinHood: They steal from the rich and give to the poor. Classic Robin Hood. |
| 173 | * KeepingSecretsSucks: Jack feels this way when he realizes that their actions could get them thrown in jail. [[spoiler: Also, when trying to protect the secret documents led to his DisneyDeath, it doesn't sound like fun anymore.]] |
| 174 | * TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: He's at the very least a good street magician/ thief before receiving [[TheCall his card]]. He fanboyed pretty hard over Danny on their first meeting. |
| 175 | * MasterOfUnlocking |
| 176 | -->"Nothing's ever locked." |
| 177 | * MauveShirt: [[spoiler:[[{{Zigzagged}} Zigzagged.]] He's given a bit less development than the other Horsemen, is clearly viewed as the junior member of the act, and his apparent death is treated like an example of this trope. However, not only does his death turn out to have been faked, but his contribution to the final performance- while unseen by the audience- is the only individual contribution that's totally vital to pulling off the last act.]] |
| 178 | * NewMeat: Seems to be the youngest and least experienced of the Horsemen. |
| 179 | * NiceGuy: He may be a thief and a liar, but he's reasonably nicer than the rest of the male leads. |
| 180 | * TarotMotifs: His card is, well... Death. [[spoiler:Which represents change, not literal death.]] |
| 181 | [[/folder]] |
| 182 | [[folder:Lula May]] |
| 183 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/LizzyCaplan |
| 184 | -->'''Dubbed by:''' Creator/CelineRonte (European French) |
| 185 | |
| 186 | A young magician who joins the Horsemen following Henley's departure. She assists the other Horsemen with her tricks, including her amazing ability to fake deaths, and is Jack's love interest. |
| 187 | ---- |
| 188 | * AllWomenAreLustful: From the first time she meets him, Lula is trying to get into Wilder's pants. [[spoiler:[[OfficialCouple She succeeds by the end of the film.]]]] |
| 189 | * EstablishingCharacterMoment: When Daniel returns from grabbing some fast food, she does a cheap trick to fake her death, which Atlas recognizes as fake. However, he falls for the indications she left as to her actual location, which allows her to sneak up on him and steal his soda. |
| 190 | * FakingTheDead: She's really good at this with her tricks, [[spoiler:and it really comes in handy during the climax.]] |
| 191 | * GeniusDitz: She comes across as a bit loopy when we first meet her, but Lula fairly quickly proves herself to be a capable member of the team. |
| 192 | * OfficialCouple: [[spoiler:With Jack by the end.]] |
| 193 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple: Now that Henley is gone. |
| 194 | * TheTeamWannabe: And Daniel would not let her forget it. |
| 195 | [[/folder]] |
| 196 | [[folder:The Fifth Horseman ('''Unmarked Spoilers''')]] |
| 197 | !!Dylan Shrike, The Fool |
| 198 | The person responsible for gathering the other Four Horsemen together at the beginning. |
| 199 | ---- |
| 200 | * BigBad: Of the movie, as he turns out to be the Fifth Horseman. |
| 201 | * TheChessmaster: Manipulated the FBI and the Horsemen into chasing each other, while letting the Horsemen (and Bradley) think that he is nothing more than an overzealous AgentScully. |
| 202 | * DetectiveMole: He's a detective that's trying to pin down the Horsemen and also the guy directing their actions. |
| 203 | * DiabolicalMastermind: He was the mysterious benefactor of the protagonists, and used his access in the FBI to cover for their escape and their magic tricks. |
| 204 | * DisproportionateRetribution: Rhodes ruined Bradley's life and stole millions of dollars from Tressler in revenge for his father's death ''which they had nothing to do with''. |
| 205 | * TheDogWasTheMastermind: The bumbling detective who is always one step behind from the Horsemen is actually the one directing them as part of his own revenge plot. |
| 206 | %%* GenreSavvy |
| 207 | * KarmaHoudini: He gets away with stealing from Tressler Insurance, framing Bradley, endangering countless lives and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking wasting police resources]]. The only person who would tell is his love interest. |
| 208 | * LetsYouAndHimFight: Dylan's fight with Jack comes across as this, since they were on the same team the whole time. |
| 209 | * TheManBehindTheMan: The Four Horsemen were the {{Big Bad}}s at first, but in the end, after TheReveal, we learn that Dylan was actually the true BigBad who was controlling the Four Horsemen ''the entire time''. |
| 210 | * MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Is a member of The Eye, though this depends on your interpretation of 'real magic'. |
| 211 | * TheMole: The secret '5th horseman'. |
| 212 | * MoleInCharge: The Fifth Horseman, ''and'' the one leading the investigation against them. |
| 213 | * NeverMyFault: By proxy. His father put his own life in danger and got himself killed for his own mistakes, but Rhodes blames Bradley for revealing his secrets and the makers of the safe he locked himself in for making a safe that warped when submerged in water (because it's not like safes are designed to be hard to open or anything) and the insurance company for not paying out on a borderline suicide. |
| 214 | * ObfuscatingStupidity: Pretended to not know what was going on when in actuality he was controlling whole thing from the start. |
| 215 | * PlayingBothSides: He leads the Four Horsemen in their heists, while also infiltrating the FBI as a detective to sabotage their pursuit. |
| 216 | * {{Revenge}}: Frames Bradley for exposing his father's tricks. |
| 217 | * RoaringRampageOfRevenge: The entire movie is him performing one of these, taking revenge on the ones he believes are responsible for his father's death and cheating his family out of his life insurance. |
| 218 | %%* SecretCharacter |
| 219 | * StealthMentor: To the Horsemen. He was the one who came up with the entire plot; they merely executed it. |
| 220 | ** Underscored with his line towards the end of the film. |
| 221 | --->'''Dylan:''' The ''real'' magic is taking 4 strong solo acts and making them work ''together''. |
| 222 | * TarotMotifs: The Fool. King of Spades/Swords. |
| 223 | * VisionaryVillain: He ''definitely'' thought of his plans ''way'' ahead of time! |
| 224 | %%* WalkingSpoiler |
| 225 | * YouKilledMyFather: His main motivation for setting the Four Horsemen to help him take revenge on those whom he believed wronged his father. |
| 226 | [[/folder]] |
| 227 | !Law Enforcement |
| 228 | [[folder:Dylan Rhodes]] |
| 229 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nysm_markruffalo_6447.jpg]] |
| 230 | [[caption-width-right:300:"I can maintain my resolve much longer than you can maintain that phony arrogance."]] |
| 231 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/MarkRuffalo |
| 232 | |
| 233 | A FBI agent focused on capturing the Horsemen. |
| 234 | ---- |
| 235 | * AgentScully: To Alma's Mulder. |
| 236 | * ArchEnemy: The Horsemen. |
| 237 | * ButtMonkey: The smartest guy in the room, he is not. |
| 238 | * ByTheBookCop: To crippling levels. He continuously approaches the Horsemen with standard procedural actions, despite their being ineffectual against stage magicians. |
| 239 | * DaddyIssues: According to Merritt, he has these. He's right. |
| 240 | * TheDeterminator: Say whatever you want about him, but his dedication to capturing the Horsemen is admirable. |
| 241 | * GoodIsDumb: The "good" part is debatable, but he is part of the law enforcement. |
| 242 | * HeroAntagonist: Though a very [[NominalHero nominal]] one. |
| 243 | * LawfulStupid: Emphasis on the "stupid". |
| 244 | --->''I was tracking myself!'' |
| 245 | * PoliceAreUseless: He is from FBI, actually, but he fits. |
| 246 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Was willing to safeguard Jack if he surrendered to them. |
| 247 | * ShipTease: With Alma. |
| 248 | * StrawMisogynist: At first towards Alma, but he grows out of it. |
| 249 | * SympatheticInspectorAntagonist: To the Horsemen. He's a law enforcer who tries his best to capture despite them being one step ahead of him all the time. |
| 250 | * UnwittingPawn: He is manipulated by the Horseman into unintentionally aiding them in several tricks. |
| 251 | [[/folder]] |
| 252 | [[folder:Alma Dray]] |
| 253 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/MelanieLaurent |
| 254 | |
| 255 | An Interpol agent sent to work with the FBI after The Four Horsemen rob from a French bank. |
| 256 | ---- |
| 257 | * AgentMulder: To Dylan's Scully. Downplayed, as she has a more open mind about magic but still wants to find out the real explanations to the tricks. |
| 258 | * BadassBookworm: She does research on magic in order to catch the Horsemen. She is also the only remotely effective agent involved in the investigation. |
| 259 | * ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: Interested in magic, if only to think like the Horsemen to catch them. [[MrExposition Looks into magic's history and finds and later explains the signed card in a tree trick.]] |
| 260 | * MsExposition: On a few occasions. |
| 261 | * NaiveNewcomer: Before this case she was behind a desk. |
| 262 | * RedHerring: Dylan suspects her of working with the Horsemen. [[spoiler:She isn't.]] |
| 263 | * SecretKeeper: At the end of the film, she learns that [[spoiler:Dylan is the Fifth Horseman.]] |
| 264 | * ShipTease: With Dylan. |
| 265 | * TheSmurfettePrinciple: She's the only female agent in the case. |
| 266 | [[/folder]] |
| 267 | [[folder:Agent Fuller]] |
| 268 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/MichaelKelly |
| 269 | |
| 270 | A bald FBI agent that serves as Rhodes' sidekick. |
| 271 | ---- |
| 272 | * ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Does not appear at all in ''The Second Act''. |
| 273 | * InspectorJavert: Relentlessly pursues the Horsemen, believing them to be criminals. He's right, of course. |
| 274 | * CrossDresser: Is stated to be one by Merritt, though we never see it in the film. |
| 275 | * SympatheticInspectorAntagonist: Arguably more so than Dylan. While he doesn't suffer nearly as much abuse, he also doesn't have the latter's attitude problem. |
| 276 | [[/folder]] |
| 277 | [[folder:Agent Evans]] |
| 278 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Music/{{Common}} |
| 279 | |
| 280 | Rhodes' supervisor in the FBI. |
| 281 | ---- |
| 282 | * HypnoFool: [[spoiler:Merritt uses his hypnosis skills on Evans to get access to a safe.]] |
| 283 | * InspectorJavert: Relentlessly pursues the Horsemen, believing them to be criminals. He's right, of course. |
| 284 | [[/folder]] |
| 285 | [[folder:Agent Cowan]] |
| 286 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DavidWarshofsky |
| 287 | |
| 288 | An upper-level agent in the FBI who serves as a sort of rival to Rhodes. When Rhodes and Fuller fail to capture the Horsemen, Cowan takes over the operation. |
| 289 | ---- |
| 290 | * {{Jerkass}}: He berates Rhodes at every chances he gets, and when the Horsemen manage to get away again and again, he blames it on the FBI's incompetence. |
| 291 | * JerkassHasAPoint: Turns out, he was entirely right, since [[spoiler:Rhodes was deliberately misleading the FBI the entire time.]] |
| 292 | * OnlySaneMan: Even more so than Dylan, he refuses to buy into the Horsemen's tricks and focuses solely on trying to get them at the next opportunity. |
| 293 | * YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: His reaction to [[spoiler:Dylan using magic to handcuff him and a few officers together]] in the sequel. |
| 294 | [[/folder]] |
| 295 | !The Eye |
| 296 | [[folder:General]] |
| 297 | The Eye is a secret society made up of the most skilled magicians from around the world; illusionists, mentalists, escapists, psychics, hypnotists, card-trickers and mediums. |
| 298 | ---- |
| 299 | * BenevolentConspiracy: The Eye has existed since AncientEgypt and their one goal has stayed the same since then: use their mastery of deception to expose corrupt ruling class and distribute their wealth to those in need JustLikeRobinHood. |
| 300 | [[/folder]] |
| 301 | [[folder:Lionel Shrike]] |
| 302 | ->'''Played By:''' Creator/EliasKoteas |
| 303 | |
| 304 | A magician mentioned occasionally during the film, who vanished after a comeback attempt went horribly wrong. |
| 305 | ---- |
| 306 | * PosthumousCharacter: He died by drowning after the safe he was in wouldn't open long before the film starts. |
| 307 | * TooDumbToLive: Locking yourself in a safe and having that safe thrown into a river is a pretty dumb thing to do on its own, even more so when the only reason you're doing it is because you want to prove you can to a guy that doesn't even care. Small wonder the insurance company refused to pay out on his policy. |
| 308 | [[/folder]] |
| 309 | [[folder:Thaddeus Bradley]] |
| 310 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/MorganFreeman |
| 311 | |
| 312 | A former magician that came to the conclusion that it is more profitable to reveal the secrets behind magic to a curious audience. He works together with the FBI in order to explain how the Four Horsemen committed their capers. |
| 313 | ---- |
| 314 | * BigWhy: [[spoiler:Yells this when he found out Dylan is the Fifth Horseman, and that he's in jail because of him.]] Though he figured out the reason [[spoiler:Dylan]] did what he had to do in the sequel. |
| 315 | * BreakTheHaughty: He's a magician-buster, so he makes a living out of doing this. [[spoiler:He's exceedingly arrogant about it and it comes back to bite him.]] |
| 316 | * CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: Thaddeus admits that [[spoiler:if he had just talked to Dylan after his fathers death the latter wouldn't have spend 30 years trying to complete his revenge plot.]] Thaddeus admits that part of the problem was [[spoiler:his guilt and shame as well as his grief over his friends death.]] |
| 317 | * TheDogWasTheMastermind: [[spoiler:The former magician who is the main pursuer and enemy of the Four Horsemen, and by extension The Eye, is the Grandmaster of The Eye himself, who is merely testing the Horsemen to see if they are worthy of joining.]] |
| 318 | * DoingInTheWizard: His shtick is spoiling magicians' secrets on television. [[spoiler:In actuality, it was all a guise and his real purpose was functionally that of a hype man who brought attention to his friend Shrike.]] |
| 319 | * GoodAllAlong: [[spoiler:By the end of the sequel, it was revealed that not only was he secretly [[BigGood the leader of The Eye]], but he was also Lionel Shrike's best friend and partner.]] |
| 320 | * OnlyInItForTheMoney: Part of the reason for doing what he does; he gets a big paycheck for it and a bigger paycheck is enough to buy him off. |
| 321 | * MightAsWellNotBeInPrisonAtAll: While in prison, he gets access to the Internet, which he uses to warn the Horsemen that they will get what's coming to them, among other things. [[spoiler:He turns out to be a good guy, but still.]] |
| 322 | %%* SmugSnake |
| 323 | * StealthMentor: The second film reveals that [[spoiler:not only is he actually a member of The Eye, but he's been secretly guiding Dylan and the Horsemen into reaching their true potential as magicians.]] |
| 324 | [[/folder]] |
| 325 | !Antagonists |
| 326 | [[folder:Arthur Tressler]] |
| 327 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/MichaelCaine |
| 328 | |
| 329 | The financial backer of the Four Horsemen by the time they perform at Las Vegas. |
| 330 | ---- |
| 331 | * AssholeVictim: It's hard to feel sorry for him, seeing as he's a corrupt and stingy asshole with a big ego. He also doesn't get hit hard; yes, the Horsemen drained one of his bank accounts and publicly humiliated him, but he still has money left over, seeing as he was prepared to pay Bradley 10 million to expose the Horsemen. |
| 332 | * BigBad: [[spoiler:Of the sequel, as he masterminds the plot to steal the personal information of millions and get revenge on the Horsemen for stealing his money and humiliating him by trying to kill them.]] |
| 333 | * CorruptCorporateExecutive: Is quite happy to bribe and intimidate to get his way; as the head of an insurance firm he's also allowed them to refuse handouts to Katrina victims, and [[spoiler:Dylan Rhodes' family on the death of his father.]] |
| 334 | * HijackedByGanon: [[spoiler:The sequel positions Walter as the villain, but it turns out Arthur is his father who is using him to accomplish his revenge plot.]] |
| 335 | * NotSoHarmlessVillain: After being tricked by the Horsemen, swindled out of a large sum of money and made an object of ridicule in the first film, he returns in the second film with the help of his EvilGenius bastard son to enact his revenge, exposing their operation to the public and nearly killing Dylan with the same safe that killed his dad in an act of cruel irony. |
| 336 | [[/folder]] |
| 337 | [[folder:Walter Mabry]] |
| 338 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/DanielRadcliffe |
| 339 | |
| 340 | The main antagonist of the sequel. He controls a large amount of companies and wants a microchip than can spy on people, and kidnaps the Horsemen so they can steal it for him. He turns out to be Arthur Tressler's illegitimate son. |
| 341 | ---- |
| 342 | * BastardBastard: Not only is he a monster, [[spoiler:he's also the bastard son to Tressler.]] |
| 343 | * CycleOfRevenge: He wanted revenge on the people who [[spoiler:wronged his father, just like Dylan]]. |
| 344 | * FakingTheDead: He faked his death a year ago, allowing him to anonymously control corporations and governments, a trick inspired by Jack. |
| 345 | * FauxAffablyEvil: He first appears to be soft-spoken, but when the Horsemen keep guessing on how they got to Macau, he snaps. |
| 346 | -->"I SAID STOP! You may not be having fun, but I am." |
| 347 | * JerkassHasAPoint: He wasn't too far off when he cruelly tells Dylan that [[spoiler:his "personal vendetta", which is really just plain DisproportionateRetribution since the people he went after had nothing to do with his father's death, would come back to bite him in the ass eventually.]] |
| 348 | * OverlordJr: [[spoiler:Arthur Tressler praises him for being a lot like him. Okay, he's really an illegitimate overlord jr., but he still fits the bill.]] |
| 349 | * ParentalFavoritism: [[spoiler:According to Tressler, he stands out from the other seven legitimate children, who were "sniveling, snobbish, stupid runts".]] |
| 350 | * PsychopathicManchild: Merritt refers to him as a "[[{{Narcissist}} narcissistic]] man-boy". |
| 351 | * SpoiledBrat: [[spoiler:It's implied that Tressler spoils him.]] |
| 352 | -->[[spoiler:'''Tressler:''' He wants something, and like any good parent, I will stop at nothing to get it for him.]] |
| 353 | [[/folder]] |
| 354 | [[folder:Chase [=McKinney=]]] |
| 355 | -->'''Portrayed by''': Creator/WoodyHarrelson |
| 356 | |
| 357 | Merritt's twin brother, who is jealous of his success and is working with Mabry as a technical advisor. |
| 358 | ---- |
| 359 | * BeardOfEvil: One of the ways that you can tell Chase from Merritt is the scraggly soul patch that Chase wears. |
| 360 | * CainAndAbel: His relationship with Merritt in a nutshell. He even bluntly tells Merritt that there is no chance for an actual relationship. |
| 361 | * ChekhovsGunman: He was very briefly mentioned in the first movie during Rhodes and Alma's interrogation of Merritt, when they mentioned Merritt had a brother/manager who picked his pockets clean and left Merritt having to build himself back up. |
| 362 | * DodgyToupee: Merritt seems to think (or maybe know) it's a hair weave instead of a toupee, but whatever Chase has on his head, it's clearly fake and a source of derision from others. It's also a mark that [[SmugSnake Chase isn't nearly as competent as he thinks he is]]. |
| 363 | * EvilTwin: He's ''exactly'' like his brother Merrit in terms of looks and mentalism skills. |
| 364 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Despite his anger toward his brother for everything, he has no problem getting a drink with Merritt, since "if it's free, it's me". Of course, this is more likely just an excuse to mock him for his ploy to stall him. |
| 365 | * HypnoFool: [[spoiler:Jack tries this on him, but he fails. Of course, Chase really shouldn't have taught him that it all relies on the element of surprise...]] |
| 366 | * SinisterShades: He sometimes wears a pair of shades. |
| 367 | * VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:He freaks out when he gets incarcerated.]] |
| 368 | [[/folder]] |
| 369 | !Other Characters |
| 370 | [[folder:Étienne Forcier]] |
| 371 | -->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/JoseGarcia |
| 372 | |
| 373 | The audience member from the first caper that is "teleported" to his bank, the "Crédit Républicain de Paris". |
| 374 | ---- |
| 375 | * HypnoFool: He was hypnotized in order to help the Four Horsemen steal money from his bank. |
| 376 | [[/folder]] |
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