--- title: "Now You See Me" year: 2013 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/now-you-see-me" fi1m_id: "now-you-see-me" imdb_id: "tt1670345" tmdb_id: 75656 wikidata_id: "Q499851" fi1m_score: 53 critics_score: 47 critics_reviews: 21 published: "2026-10-05T13:06:45.094706+00:00" updated: "2026-10-05T13:06:45.605657+00:00" region: "NL" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Now You See Me (2013) Directed by Louis Leterrier · 1h 56m · Kijkwijzer 12 · Thriller, Crime ## Identity Now You See Me - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/now-you-see-me - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** now-you-see-me - **IMDb ID:** tt1670345 - **TMDB ID:** 75656 - **Wikidata ID:** Q499851 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1670345/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/75656, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q499851 **Fi1m score: 53** · Critics 47 from 21 reviews *In a sentence:* A magic film that insists on showing you how it is done, and the answer is always a computer > Four magicians rob a Paris bank from a Las Vegas stage, and Louis Leterrier’s caper is bright, quick and silly for an hour. Then it starts explaining itself, and every explanation is worse than the trick it replaces. ## Synopsis Four magicians each receive a tarot card leading them to a New York flat. J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) does card tricks in the street, Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) hypnotises tourists, Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) escapes from a tank of piranhas and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) picks pockets. A year later they are the Four Horsemen, filling a Las Vegas arena on the money of insurance magnate Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine). For their finale they pick Etienne Forcier (José Garcia), send him to his bank vault in Paris and shower the audience with the bank’s cash. FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol’s Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent) take the case, and Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), a professional debunker, offers to tell them how it was done. ## Review Louis Leterrier has made a heist film in which the thieves are stage magicians and the robbery is the show. It is a good idea, and for an hour the film knows it. Four performers are summoned by someone they never see, built into an act called the Four Horsemen and put on a Las Vegas stage, where they appear to empty a Paris bank vault without leaving the stage. Then the FBI arrive, and with them the explanations. Each one is duller than the trick it accounts for, and there are a great many of them. The opening is the best thing in it. J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) does a card trick for a street crowd, and the film does it for us too: a card is chosen, the deck is fanned, and the card turns up where it has no business being. It is quick and pleased with itself in the right way, and it set us up to enjoy what followed. The Vegas show pays that off. Peter Wenham gives the Horsemen a stage that is all screens and spotlights, Jenny Eagan puts them in black like a boy band at a funeral, and when the money starts falling on the crowd Brian Tyler’s brass goes up with it. We grinned through the whole sequence. The cast is better than the parts. Woody Harrelson plays the hypnotist Merritt McKinney as a man who has been getting away with things for years and sees no reason to stop, and the film is livelier whenever he is talking. Eisenberg does his clipped, fast delivery, which suits a man who thinks he is the cleverest person there. Isla Fisher and Dave Franco are given less to do than their billing suggests. On the other side, Mark Ruffalo plays Agent Dylan Rhodes rumpled and irritable, a man who did not want the case, and Mélanie Laurent, as the Interpol officer sent to shadow him, supplies the only warmth the script allows anyone. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman share a couple of scenes as two old men who have decided to enjoy themselves, and we enjoyed them. The trouble starts with the camera. Larry Fong and Mitchell Amundsen never let it rest. Two people talking in an office are circled as if one of them might bolt; a man reading a file gets a crane shot. Leterrier made *The Transporter*, and he directs exposition here as though it were a car chase. Vincent Tabaillon and Robert Leighton cut on every pan, so a scene that needs four shots gets forty. Over 116 minutes the effect is a mild seasickness, and it is worst in the scenes where someone is trying to tell us how a trick was done, which is when we most wanted to be allowed to look. The deeper problem is the magic itself. A stage trick asks you to watch a pair of hands and fail to catch them. These tricks are done in a computer, and we knew it as we watched, so the question the film keeps asking, how did they do that, has no honest answer. When Freeman’s Thaddeus Bradley stands up to explain the Vegas robbery, what he describes could not have been done by the people we saw doing it. We felt cheated, and said so to each other on the way out. A film about illusionists should have spotted the problem. Three writers are credited, Boaz Yakin, Edward Ricourt and Ed Solomon, and the second half reads as though each wanted the last word. The Horsemen’s story takes turns we will not describe. It is enough to say that the film keeps the pieces of its puzzle off screen so the final reveal can land as a surprise, and that a surprise nobody could have seen coming is an announcement, not a reveal. We sat through the last twenty minutes being told things. Most critics landed near where we have, enjoying the first hour and resenting the second, and we have no quarrel with them. The heist films this one wants to sit beside are the ones where the pleasure is in watching the plan work. This one has a plan it will not show you until it is over. Watch it with friends and a drink, and agree beforehand that nobody is going to ask how. For an hour you will have a good time. After that, Harrelson is still on screen, which is something. *Fi1m score 53, published 5 October 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics land in the middle or below, and the pattern across the reviews is unusually consistent: a caper that starts with real fizz and gradually loses it. Praise clusters on the cast, particularly the easy rapport between Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher and Mark Ruffalo’s comic presence, and on the pace and energy of the first half. The Las Vegas set-pieces are widely enjoyed as spectacle, even by critics who do not believe a frame of them. The reservations cluster just as tightly on the ending. Review after review calls the final twist absurd, obvious or rule-breaking, and several complain that CGI-assisted tricks defeat the point of a film about magic. The spread is wide, from The AV Club’s warm notice to The Guardian, which finds everything after the opening ten minutes dull. The Hollywood Reporter dissents from the cast praise, finding warmth only in Mélanie Laurent, while Digital Spy finds the whole thing smug. ## Straight answers **Is Now You See Me worth watching?** *Now You See Me* is worth an evening only for viewers happy to enjoy a bright first hour and forgive the rest, and we scored it 53. The Las Vegas show is quick and pleased with itself in the right way, but the second half explains every trick and each explanation is worse than the trick. Watch it with friends and agree not to ask how. **How long is Now You See Me, and what is it rated?** *Now You See Me* runs 1h 56m and is rated 12 by the Kijkwijzer in the Netherlands. It is a thriller and crime film. **Where can I watch Now You See Me in the Netherlands?** *Now You See Me* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in the Netherlands, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from €2.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Now You See Me, and is it suitable for children?** *Now You See Me* is a 12A, and its magic-show heists are more silly than frightening. The review notes an escape from a tank of piranhas and a brisk, restless camera that may make some viewers mildly seasick, but nothing it describes is gory or likely to upset a child over ten. Younger viewers may simply lose the plot. **What should I watch after Now You See Me?** After *Now You See Me*, try [*The Sting*](https://film.one/film/the-sting) (1973, Fi1m 85): Newman and Redford run a long con you can follow, which is the whole pleasure. Then [*The Prestige*](https://film.one/film/the-prestige) (2006, Fi1m 82): Two magicians, real tricks, and a film that plays fair with its own rules; and [*Nine Queens*](https://film.one/film/nine-queens) (2000, Fi1m 83): Argentine street con men, a rare sheet of stamps, and not one computer effect. ### Reviews we read (21) - **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (B): Dowd finds the film a ludicrous but spirited caper that works best as light, entertaining popcorn fare. He singles out the leads’ easy chemistry while criticizing the CGI-assisted stage effects as a kind of cheating. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/now-you-see-me-1798176938) - **Evening Standard** (70/100, inferred): The critic finds it a glossy, fast-paced, fizzy blockbuster that is implausible but leaves food for thought. They praise the cast, especially the lively chemistry and comic gags between Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/now-you-see-me-film-review-8688113.html) - **Screen Daily**, Brent Simon (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but its criticism is hidden behind a paywall. The available text does not reveal the critic’s verdict or what they praised or complained about. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/now-you-see-me/5056978.article) - **Little White Lies**, Chris Blohm (3/3/2): Blohm finds the film a campy, propulsive spectacle whose final reveal fails to match the buildup. He praises the execution of the bubble illusion, even while calling it implausible. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/now-you-see-me) - **Radio Times**, Terry Staunton (3/5): Staunton gives the film a three-star verdict, describing it as a fast-paced drama. He singles out its gaudy Vegas setting, intricate plotting and snappy dialogue. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-l9hvmo/now-you-see-me/) - **Total Film**, Ken McIntyre (3/5): The review finds the film engaging and energetic at first, but says its overloaded plot buckles under an absurd final twist. It praises the eye-popping spectacle and the cast’s evident enjoyment, while noting that the magic works less well on film. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/now-you-see-me-review/) - **Slant Magazine**, Abhimanyu Das (2/4): The critic finds the film’s promising setup overwhelmed by exhausting plotting and an obvious final twist. They praise the ensemble’s early rapport and comic performances, while faulting the bloated second half and hollow characters. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/now-you-see-me/) - **Empire**, Olly Richards (40/100, inferred): Richards finds the film entertaining for much of its runtime but says its ending undermines the fun. He praises the magicians-as-criminals conceit and the elaborate set-pieces, while criticizing the improbable, rule-breaking reveals. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/now-see-review/) - **Time Out**, Trevor Johnston (2/5): Johnston dismisses the film as a flouncy exercise in would-be story chicanery. He questions the point of a magic movie when CGI makes its tricks feel unconvincing. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/now-you-see-me-1) - **Variety**, Scott Foundas (30/100, inferred): Foundas finds the caper watchable but ultimately flimsy and unsatisfying. He praises the accomplished magic tricks, while faulting the film for sidelining its illusionists and relying on monotonous camerawork. [Read](https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/film-review-now-you-see-me-1200490336/) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (30/100, inferred): Ebiri finds the film energetic and imaginative but ultimately muddled and unsuccessful. He praises its inventive premise while faulting the convoluted explanations and choppy editing. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2013/05/movie-review-now-you-see-me.html) - **Los Angeles Times**, Gary Goldstein (25/100, inferred): Goldstein finds the film noisy, implausible and ultimately disappointing. He praises the briefly dazzling magician showmanship but says the plot’s holes and overlong twists weaken it. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2013-may-30-la-et-now-you-see-me-20130531-story.html) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (25/100, inferred): McCarthy finds the caper flashy but ultimately hollow, with no suspense or meaningful character investment. He singles out Melanie Laurent as the film’s only source of warmth. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/you-see-me-film-review-560765/) - **The New Yorker** (25/100, inferred): The review dismisses the film as overcomplicated nonsense, arguing that its attempts at cleverness quickly exhaust viewers. It also criticizes Leterrier’s restless camera movement during even basic exposition. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/now-you-see-me-2) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (20/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the heist caper overcomplicated, implausible and dull. He praises its opening ten minutes but says the magicians’ skills and characters fail to make the story work. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jul/04/now-you-see-me-review) - **Eye for Film**, Max Crawford (65/100, inferred): The critic finds it an enjoyable, clever-enough magician heist romp, though it loses momentum near the end. The review praises its ability to keep viewers guessing but faults the finale for relying on an exposition dump. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/now-you-see-me-2013-film-review-by-stuart-crawford) - **Den of Geek**, Nick Allen (3/5): Allen finds the film entertaining but ultimately not clever enough, criticizing its manipulative final twist. He praises Mark Ruffalo’s comic presence as the standout in a strong cast. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/now-you-see-me-review/) - **HeyUGuys**, Stefan Pape (3/5): Pape finds the film relentlessly entertaining but says its convoluted, anticlimactic ending lets it down. He praises the lively cast, especially Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent, while finding Jesse Eisenberg ill-suited to his role. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/now-you-see-me-review/) - **Paste**, Shannon M. Houston (5.8/10): Houston finds the film entertaining but shallow, with its showmanship undermined by thin characters and predictable twists. The cast and flashy magic performances are singled out as strengths, while the late-arriving attempt at substance feels awkward. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/now-you-see-me) - **Digital Spy**, Stella Papamichael (2): The critic pans the film as smug, irritating and ultimately unconvincing. She particularly faults the implausible explanations for the robberies and the lack of substance in the cast’s roles. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a491169/now-you-see-me-review-magic-eludes-jesse-eisenberg-woody-harrelson/) - **The Wrap** (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film engaging at first but ultimately an overly complicated mess. They praise its energetic first half, while faulting the excess twists and an implausible final reveal. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/now-you-see-me-review-magic-themed-heist-movie-maybe-too-much-its-sleeve-94751/) ## Details - **Director:** Louis Leterrier - **Director:** Louis Leterrier - **Screenplay:** Edward Ricourt, Boaz Yakin, Ed Solomon - **Story:** Boaz Yakin, Edward Ricourt - **Cinematography:** Mitchell Amundsen, Larry Fong - **Editor:** Vincent Tabaillon, Robert Leighton - **Music:** Brian Tyler - **Production design:** Peter Wenham - **Costume design:** Jenny Eagan - **Producer:** Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Bobby Cohen - **Cast:** Jesse Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas; Woody Harrelson as Merritt McKinney; Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves; Dave Franco as Jack Wilder; Mark Ruffalo as Dylan Rhodes; Mélanie Laurent as Alma Dray; Morgan Freeman as Thaddeus Bradley; Michael Caine as Arthur Tressler - **Runtime:** 1h 56m - **Certificate (Kijkwijzer):** 12 - **Release (the Netherlands):** 30 July 2013 - **Genres:** Thriller, Crime - **Budget:** $75 million - **Box office:** $352 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaavRAV8a0A ## Where to watch in the Netherlands - Amazon Prime Video: add-on - Amazon Prime Video: rent €2.99, hd - Apple TV: rent €3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy €4.99, hd - Apple TV: buy €4.99, hd *Checked 2026-10-05.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, ID, IE, IN, IT, JP, KR, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, SE, SG, TH, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Sting* (1973), Fi1m 85: Newman and Redford run a long con you can follow, which is the whole pleasure. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-sting.md) - *The Prestige* (2006), Fi1m 82: Two magicians, real tricks, and a film that plays fair with its own rules. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-prestige.md) - *Nine Queens* (2000), Fi1m 83: Argentine street con men, a rare sheet of stamps, and not one computer effect. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/nine-queens.md) - *Rififi* (1955): Half an hour of silent safecracking in Paris; the method is the thrill. - *Inside Man* (2006): Spike Lee’s bank siege, where the trick is in plain sight all along. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/now-you-see-me