Don't miss this one. One year after outsmarting the FBI the Four Horsemen of Magic return to snooker a giant corrupt tech magnet. They perform one last unprecedented magic trick and 'out snooker' us all.
Now You See Me 2 is great ensemble acting. Mark Ruffalo's performance tears at your heart. His emotions are in your face and end up in your soul. Jesse Eisbenburg is cool, quirky and sails through his magic like it's his kingdom. Woody Harrelson is always a joy to see as he is so understated and does not milk his scenes or play to the camera for face time. He also plays his twin brother, but due to the negligent direction of Jon M. Chu he plays his twin with shtick and overacts which is so unlike Harrelson. Harrelson needed a more hands on director who was not asleep at the lens. Perhaps director Chu was intimidated by Harrelson's fame and fan base, but all actors need direction. Even the best of them.
David Frankel who resembles a young Montgomery Clift is convincing as one of the magicians. Then there is the magnificent Lizzy Caplan who makes a grand entrance. While it is good to see her, her part fades like a magic trick in its importance. Pity, as she is such a fine actress and makes unusual choices. Michael Caine returns looking fabulous at 83. I am so sad that he was not in the last Batman film as his age only adds to his debonair quality, charm and, in this film, sinister character. Morgan Freeman plays a smooth yet mysterious character who adds gravitas to the story of the Four Horsemen of Magic
Now You See Me 2 begins with Daniel Rhode's (Mark Ruffalo's) father doing a magic trick in a river while sealed in a box from which he is intended to escape. He drowns. Rhodes spends his life trying to understand what went wrong. His guilt tortures. Early in the film we are magically transported to Macao. A wonder.
Now You See Me 2 brought back fond memories. In 1965, when I was a stewardess for Pan Am, I took my mother around the world and we visited Macao. It was a dirt racing track. Deserted. Desolate. How wondrous to have movies that take us to places in the world which we no longer are able to visit. Movies like this make us feel like one with the universe.
Meanwhile the reason the Four Horsemen have been transported to Macao is to steal a part of a computer for an evil Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter no more) Radcliffe, a billionaire computer wizard who 'wants his disk back'. And what a better way to get it than to kidnap the Four Horsemen of Magic to retrieve this disk from high tech honchos via magic tricks of their own. This complex raid on a high tech honcho is a sight for sore and curious eyes.
The finale or one last magic trick seen round the world is an eyeful. Now You See Me 2 will keep you on the edge of your denim and have you leaving the theatre thinking, "Sure glad I caught this one."