New in theaters: "Now You See Me" - Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Morgan Freeman

Now You See Me......now you don't. I found myself hoping for the latter throughout this overly long and sometimes confusing effort from director Louis Leterrier. Despite an extremely talented cast, Now You See Me never realizes its full potential and wastes at least three talented actors, who are relegated to what seems like non-essential roles because they are off screen for long periods of time. In any event, the story centers around four magicians who are asked to meet at a mysterious address where they encounter each other with egos firmly intact and are treated to a unique visual spectacle, which leads to a offer for their combined services. While the foursome all are full of themselves, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) is probably the most arrogant. However, he has the talent and intelligence to back up his boasting (don't you just hate people like that?)

Rounding out the group is a mentalist, Merrit McKinney (Woody Harrelson), a street magician, Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and an escape artist, Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher). As you might expect, trust is an issue within the group, who are masters at manipulation and that results in several amusing exchanges. They are eventually christened the Four Horsemen (I suppose Henley is just "one of the guys") and, over time, they band together for a Las Vegas show and promise to thrill audiences by performing impossible illusions. One of those tricks involves a bank robbery, in France, which is conducted on stage in Las Vegas, seemingly during the show. When the bank is actually found to be robbed, the authorities become involved, including FBI agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol agent Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). However, the tricksters always appear to be ahead of the aforementioned agents and make them repeatedly look like fools.

The flummoxed agents enlist the help of a former magician, Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), who they hope can shed some light on the bank heist. Bradley is also acquainted with the person who is funding the Four Horsemen, Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), and they share a complicated and competitive history. However, the foursome eventually turn on Tressler, who vows revenge, but then disappears, just like magic! The balance of the film focuses on the efforts of the authorities to find out the truth behind the illusions and bring the foursome into custody, which is no easy feat.

From a technical perspective, Now You See Me looks slick and magical, as well as fantastic and contemporary. However, the convoluted plot and lack of focus hampers this effort, but to its credit, the final act manages to hold a couple of surprises. However, even an award worthy cast (who should have been given better material to work with) and the technical marvels cannot save Now You See Me from becoming a less than stellar magic act.

"Olympus Has Fallen" - Starring Morgan Freeman and Gerard Butler

Photo Credit: Millennium Films

The White House has been infiltrated by a terrorist group who capture the President (Aaron Eckhart) and several high ranking administration officials in the new film Olympus Has Fallen, from director Antoine Fuqua. The leader of the group, Kang Yeonsak (Rick Yune), sets up shop in the bunker far beneath the White House and plans to retrieve the security codes for the nation's nuclear weapons to unleash untold horrors around the country. Washington is seemingly paralyzed, but the acting commander in chief, Speaker of the House Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), works with a former Secret Service Agent, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), who witnessed the attack and is looking for the terrorists inside the White House.

However, Banning, who is a former Special Forces operative, has a rather troubled relationship with the current President and has been assigned to desk duty after an accident that claimed the life of the First Lady (Ashley Judd). His first order of business is to find President Asher's son, Connor (Finlay Jacobsen), who is believed to still be in the White House and will likely be used as leverage if he is caught. Banning is a Jason Bourne type of character with supreme fighting skills that allow him to dispatch a large number of Kang's men and remain relatively unscathed. Banning is seemingly the last hope for the country, as the terrorists have obtained next generation weapons that keep all rescue attempts at bay. 

Olympus Has Fallen asks viewers to suspend their disbelief in a big way. If that is possible, the result is an entertaining effort that boasts a strong cast, including Melissa Leo, Robert Forster, Angela Bassett, Dylan McDermott, as well as the aforementioned Freeman, Eckhart and Butler. Gerard Butler receives a great deal of screen time and is completely believable as the tough and capable Banning, thanks to his imposing physique and agility. He is likable and viewers will want to root for him to find and dispatch the terrorists. 

The film is action packed, but relies too heavily on gun play and explosions during the initial siege at the White House that quickly becomes overkill and lasts entirely too long. As is typically the case in those busy scenes, it is difficult to see what is happening, as the carnage takes numerous lives of characters who viewers do not know or care about. Of course, the good guys and bad guys are easily differentiated, which is both good and bad. It is good for viewers who are keeping score, but bad for those who may be sensitive about stereotyping certain groups of people. I doubt many people who see Olympus Has Fallen will look too deeply into the subtext. After all, this is simply entertainment, but from the reactions of some of the audience members in the screening I attended, one might think the attack was real. The support for the country was not unexpected, but the vocal reactions during the final act were a bit surprising for a work of fiction. Perhaps that is a reflection of the growing instability is some parts of the world. 

DVD Round-Up: "Seven" (1995) - Starring Morgan Freeman and "The Next Three Days" (2010) - Starring Russell Crowe

Seven (1995)

The Basics: Thriller surrounding the search for a serial killer that finds a grizzled, soon to be retired police detective, William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), joining forces with a much younger and recently transferred Detective David Mills. The duo desperately search for the killer, who is patterning his murders on the seven deadly sins; gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, lust, and envy.

Reasons to Watch: The superb cast is led with quiet determination by Morgan Freeman and the manic undertones of Brad Pitt. The cold, calculating killer (no spoilers here) is able to utilize his intelligence and knowledge of psychology to keep everyone off balance. Gwyneth Paltrow brings a refreshing air of innocence to her role, as David's lonely wife, Tracy.

The Bottom Line: Great performances, an intricate and intelligent screenplay, by Andrew Kevin Walker, and the deft direction of David Fincher make Seven an unforgettable psychological thriller that will get under your skin and may stay with you long after the film ends. During the film, I thought the killer might be either Mills or Somerset, which is to the credit of the screenplay and to the performances from Freeman and Pitt. If you have never seen the film, consider them both suspects.

The Next Three Days (2012)

The Basics: A wife and mother, Lara Brennan (Elizabeth Banks), is convicted of a murder that she may or may not have committed. Her distraught husband, John (Russell Crowe), becomes obsessed with an intricate plot that he designed to help her escape from prison.

Reasons to Watch: The terrific cast, including Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson and Brian Dennehy, deliver strong work. The movie was filmed on location in Pittsburgh, PA and, as a former resident, I appreciated seeing so many familiar sites.

The Bottom Line: An overly long and completely unrealistic film that managed to hold my attention, despite those flaws. Viewers who can suspend their disbelief may find it more enjoyable than those who cannot.