Ruben Fleischer’s “Now You See Me Now You Don’t” is the kind of sequel that knows it has arrived after the party is over, but goes for one more trick that nobody asked for. Woody Harrelson, reprising his role as Merritt McKinney, embraces his hypnotist shtick with a touch of dejected swagger that makes you forget the movie’s awkward stumbling every so often. The plot revolves around hologram cons and stolen tarot cards, and a purloined diamond called “The Heart” gets very convoluted but also very satisfying. The movie is magical enough because it still takes delight in its own sleight of hand.
As a heist movie, it works best when the ensemble is in motion: Jesse Eisenberg’s Atlas commanding his flock, Isla Fisher’s Henley contorting outside impossible constraints, Dave Franco’s Jack flicking cards like knives, and fresh recruits Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, and Ariana Greenblatt ramping the chaos. And the Belgium auction and Abu Dhabi glass cube trap serve up the kind of spectacle audiences have come to expect, even if some of the editing seems, at times, less about showcasing sleight of hand than about hiding it.
As a buddy movie, the chemistry between Harrelson and the young magicians is weirdly winning. The banter is prankish, the betrayals playful, and the reconciliations just sincere enough that you’ll still care.
Its title, Now You See Me Now You Don’t, is glossily literal, as characters literally disappear into police custody, reappear in disguise, and entire vaults dissolve into stage illusions. The film’s best trick is to persuade you that the narrative holes are misdirection rather than shoddy patchwork.
Too bad, the villain is a dud. Rosamund Pike’s backstory for Veronika Vanderberg is nonexistent. She lives undeveloped in a maze of glass mirrors, cartoonish plotting, and a final twist that is more audience trick than evil unveiling.
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t gets the job done with style to spare, even when it sometimes seems to be hypnotizing itself.
Grade: B+.
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