Now You See Me draws inspiration from heist movies and crime capers while adding a magic twist, while movies like Now You See Me find other interesting ways to enter these genres. Now You See Me follows Mark Ruffalo’s detective as he is on the trail of a group of magicians known as the Four Horsemen who are using their “magic tricks” to pull off daring heists for an unknown party. Along with the different genre elements, Now You See Me also features a star-studded cast with Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine joining Ruffalo.
After a long wait, Now You See Me 3 has been announced with many of the main cast members returning. However, with filming not yet begun, there will still be more of a wait ahead for fans, making it the best time to seek out some other fun movies that capture that same vibe. From movies that take new approaches to the heist formula to star-studded capers to thrillers with magicians at the center, there are a surprising amount of great options for fans of the Now You See Me movies to check out.
Before wowing the world with Knives Out, writer and director Rian Johnson made his first foray into the lighter side of crime movies with this story about the two conmen brothers played by Adrien Brody and Now You See Me‘s Mark Ruffalo. The pair attempt to con a wealthy heiress but Brody’s brother falls for the mark, complicating the plot.
As seen in Knives Out and the Peacock series Poker Face, Johnson has a love for these fun and twisting crime stories and seems to relish playing in the genre. Like Now You See Me, there is a lot of fun to seeing the pieces of this complex plot fall into place, but the real entertainment in The Brothers Bloom comes from watching the characters interacting.The Brothers Bloom is a unique crime caper that has its own sense of quirky humor and magic to it.
Now You See Me‘s Woody Harrelson stars in this much more laid-back take on a heist movie also elevated by a star-studded cast. After Sunset stars Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek as two master jewel thieves who’ve escaped Harrelson’s FBI agent before. As the couple plans one last big score before returning, Harrelson closes in on them.
Set in the Bahamas, After the Sunset has a uniquely easygoing vibe that may not have been a hit with either critics or audiences at the time of its release but has garnered it a stronger following over the years since. Like the thieves in Now You See Me, Brosnan makes for a criminal who is easy to cheer for and there is a fun friendship that develops between him and Harrelson as they play their game of cat and mouse.
Denzel Washington and Spike Lee team up for their fourth movie together in the crime thriller Inside Man. Washington leads an all-star cast of heavy hitters, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Willem Dafoe, and Jodie Foster, as a detective negotiating with Clive Owen’s robber who is holding hostages inside the bank as part of his master heist plan.
Director Spike Lee uses the backdrop of New York City in the way that only he can, adding so much character to what could have been just another by-the-numbers cops and robbers movie. However, the thriller elements are also intriguing, with more and more complexities added to this crime, leading to plenty of mind games that will stimulate fans of Now You See Me‘s many switcheroos and disappearing acts. It all leads to a reveal that is both satisfying and adds to the more light-hearted take on the heist genre.
One of the complaints against Now You See Me is the improbable nature of the heists, even taking the “magic” aspect of the story into account. However, that sort of mindless fun is what some people look for in movies like this and Fast Five. The ever-accelerating Fast & Furious franchise kicked up into a new gear with its fifth installment, which leaned heavily into the heist aspect of the previous movies, bringing on new recurring cast member Dwayne Johnson for the first time, and the series has never looked back.
In the spirit of the 2003 remake of The Italian Job, Fast Five is all about a team of car-centric thieves using some theatrical planning and execution that Now You See Me fans will surely recognize. It’s not all high-octane muscle from the crew, and they have their own set of tricks up their sleeves to surprise the audience.
For those who enjoy the structure and execution of an elaborate heist plan, Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky is a must-see. This is Soderbergh returning to the fun crime genre after the Oceans movies, but substituting the cool sophistication of those movies with a dimmer ensemble of characters with Southern charm. Led by Channing Tatum and Adam Driver as two brothers planning on robbing a local speedway, the would-be criminals at the heart of the scheme are simply lovable.
With supporting roles played by the likes of Daniel Craig and Seth McFarlane, the movie is filled with big laughs and a clever script that makes the heist exciting and unique. Even if the main characters aren’t the slick criminal geniuses of Now You See Me‘s world, it all comes together just as genre fans will want to see.
Christopher Nolan’s Inception is a much more epic and serious take on the heist genre that has a lot to offer for fans of Now You See Me.For starters, Inception also brings in a tremendous ensemble cast of actors together to tell a very heist unique story just as Now You See Me is. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the leader of a gang of thieves who specialize in extracting ideas from people’s dreams only to be tasked with a new mission of implanting an idea in the mind of a target.
The film has some great visuals and while there is no actual magic taking place, there is no doubt that the things the group does are certainly magic. The gravity-defying scenes are wonderful to experience and make for unique action sequences. There are a lot of surprises throughout the movie as well which keeps audiences guessing and questioning the reality right up until the climax.
Much like Inception, Baby Driver takes a concept that is well-known, in terms of being a heist and bringing a team of people together to do a job, but it does so in a modern and unique manner. In this case, that is mainly done through music, which plays a huge part in telling the story of the film. Getaway driver Baby uses music as his comfort due to the fact he suffers from tinnitus making Baby Driver’s soundtrack not only the score but a big part of the story.
While music doesn’t have much of a role in Now You See Me, it is the comedic tones and fresh ideas that make these two movies so similar. The fact both films bring a team of talents together to pull off a mission is also a very similar concept. There are some good twists and betrayals throughout as well to really add to the drama.
One of the most exciting aspects of Now You See Me was the mystery behind it. While everyone knew who the main magicians were, the person pulling the strings wasn’t revealed right until the end of the movie. It left people guessing about who was doing it and why, leading to a shocking reveals that recontextualized the whole movie.
Another film that does that brilliantly is Knives Out. This is a murder mystery film all set in one home after a death takes place, with Daniel Craig as the brilliant and eccentric detective Benoit Blanc who tries to work out if this was a murder and who might be responsible. While this film does actually reveal the death early on, there are plenty of other twists that keep audiences on edge with a lot of mystery being involved.
Though often unfairly seen as a lesser version of Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, The Illusionist is another period movie about a magician that has its own fun and original story to tell. Edward Norton plays an illusionist who isn’t allowed to be with the woman that he loves. However, with his magic shows drawing a considerable crowd, he intends to use his skills to challenge the corrupt people in power. While this film isn’t quite as secretive and fun as Now You See Me, there are still a lot of similar themes.
The magic within this movie is a lot of fun to watch and there is no shortage of suspense. Norton makes for a terrific heroic protagonist with Jessica Biel as his love interest and Paul Giamatti as the lawman tasked with stopping him.