Now You See Me explained a fascinating thriller that’s become famous for its shocking third-act twist and confusing ending. Starring a great cast including Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson, the film details the lives of four popular magicians who band together and execute a series of public illusions that break the law in several ways. Despite constant police efforts to bring the group, known as the Four Horsemen, to justice, their complex tricks and sharp intelligence allow them to become pseudo-celebrities that prove just how little is known about the world.

Now You See Me is an iconic magic movie that uses the magicians’ same misdirection and distractions in its storytelling to keep the audience guessing from start to finish. It’s filled with tiny details and complicated subplots that are intentionally easy to miss when watching the movie for the first time – but become much more evident and important on a rewatch. Much like the magic tricks that are included in the story, it’s these small fragments of truth hidden beneath the fiction that explain the real meaning behind the film.

Dylan Rhodes Was Revealed To Be The Son Of Lionel Strike & The Mastermind Behind The Four Horsemen’s Tricks

The Crimes Were An Elaborate Revenge Plan

For the majority of Now You See Me’s runtime, it’s Officer Rhodes who sets his mind to outsmarting the Four Horsemen and leads the investigation against them. Their high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse drives much of the story forward, but a shocking third-act twist reveals that Rhodes was actually involved in the schemes from the beginning.

Now You See Me’s unexpected twist might seem unjustified at first, but the film’s closing scene reveals that Rhodes is actually the son of disgraced magician Lionel Shrike. He was the one that recruited the Horsemen to execute this complex plan, with everything serving as revenge for his father’s death. Shrike is mentioned a few times throughout Now You See Me, and while he’s never explored in much detail, the movie gives just enough explanation about the magician’s career to understand why Officer Rhodes was so desperate to get revenge.

His father had died inside a faulty safe during an escape trick that was intended to save his career after Thaddeus Bradley had exposed his magic secrets. The entire plan was astutely constructed to punish those involved in his father’s death, offering some interesting commentary on capitalistic greed and the lack of remorse that he received from the companies responsible.

The Eye Is A Secret Society That Is Full Of Talented Magicians Who Want To Target The Rich & Their Wealth

The Eye’s Priorities Align With The Four Horsemen’s Anti-Hero Ways

Although some believe that Now You See Me’s twist ruined the film, the presence of The Eye actually helps shed some light on the situation. Throughout the story, those investigating the Horsemen begin to learn about a secret society of magicians called The Eye, who use their extreme talents to fight against greed and oppression.

The closing moments of the film reveal that Officer Rhodes is actually a member of The Eye, and that’s where he’s been getting the resources and support to execute this master plan. This makes sense because The Eye’s morals and beliefs line up perfectly with what Rhodes is trying to achieve. By using the Four Horsemen, Rhodes wants to bring down the gluttonous corporations that profited from his father’s death. These include Elkhorn Security for their faulty vault, Tressler Insurance & Crédit Républicain for their stingy payouts, and Thaddeus Bradley for disgracing his father’s name.

The Horsemen might be criminals, but they’re serving a cause bigger than themselves, trying to make a real change in society rather than just becoming popular. From their very first show, Rhodes and the Horsemen display the same “steal from the rich and give to the poor” ideology that they’ve learned from The Eye.

Jack Wilder Faked His Own Death So He Could Work On Rhodes’s Secret Plan

Wilder Fooled The Police And Audience

A powerful moment toward the end of Now You See Me sees Jack Wilder (one of the Four Horsemen) killed in a fatal car crash. He later reveals that his demise was just a false misdirection to keep the authorities on their toes, but the method of his survival is buried beneath all the other third-act twists. It’s Thaddeus Bradley who correctly guesses how Wilder faked his death, suggesting that the Horsemen used a decoy vehicle and a stolen cadaver from the morgue to convince the FBI that Wilder had died.

Jack faked his death so he could work from the shadows in the final step of Rhodes’ plan. With the FBI only watching the others, Jack was able to break into the Elkhorn Security safe and plant the money in Bradley’s car. This completed Rhodes’ long-awaited revenge, resulting in Bradley’s arrest for his perceived involvement in the game. By faking his death, Jack didn’t only fool the FBI, but also the audience. It’s a classic example of misdirection and one of Now You See Me‘s best magic tricks.

The True Meaning Of Now You See Me’s Ending

It’s All About Misdirection

On its surface, Now You See Me is a film that proves just how deceptive storytelling can be. The misdirection and magic occur on two levels – firstly on a narrative level, but also on a structural one. The audience is intentionally misled to keep them on their toes, which makes Now You See Me a great magic film in every sense of the word.

Although the script is somewhat messy and not every single moment is believable, it’s an experiment that proves a film’s greatest ᴀsset is how it treats its audience. The fact that Now You See Me’s twist feels so unpredictable is actually proof that it’s done its job. On a more thematic level, Now You See Me is about the exploitation and excessive greed of large, capitalist companies that benefit from other people’s misfortune.

Each of the Horsemen’s events exposes a different company for its immoral treatment of Lionel Shrike and his family in the fallout of his death. Tressler is a selfish millionaire who only cares about money, and Bradley is a bitter entertainer who profits from ruining other people’s careers. Rhodes, the Horsemen, and The Eye teach them all an important lesson about the people who are affected by their selfishness.

How The Now You See Me Ending Set Up The Future Of The Franchise

The Eye Makes Now You See Me 3 Even More Intriguing

Now You See Me‘s twist ending sets up a very different sequel while also hinting at a much bigger world. While the first movie focused largely on Rhodes being in pursuit of the Four Horsemen and trying to figure out their plan, that obviously would not work for the sequel now that it had been revealed that Rhodes is the mastermind behind it all. However, it keeps the idea of revenge with Arthur Tressler going after the Horsemen while exposing Rhodes as being part of it all.

However, the biggest thing the twist added to the franchise was the idea of the secret society of magicians known as The Eye. The sequel continued to explore this idea even further with new members introduced. Now You See Me 2 also ends with Rhodes becoming the new grandmaster of The Eye. With the upcoming Now You See Me 3 bringing back the old characters while also introducing a lot of new ones, it seems likely that The Eye will be explored in more detail, opening up the potential for endless spinoffs and new stories.

How The Now You See Me Ending Was Received

The Audience Liked It Better Than Critics

Now You See Me lives and dies by its ending. However, this was a case where the audience seemed to enjoy the puzzle better than critics who reviewed the movie. With a 51% Rotten Tomatoes score, the audience rated it a higher 70% score. However, that doesn’t mean the audience liked the ending. When looking at the film, one audience member wrote, “A good movie – with a surprising twist – it’s a shame it comes out of nowhere.” In a slightly positive review, Matt Singer of Screen Crush wrote:

“Eisenberg’s Daniel also says that the closer you look at a magic trick, the less you see. It almost feels too obvious to note that the same holds true of ‘Now You See Me,’ which is such a trifle that it completely falls apart under even the slightest bit of scrutiny. The plot is insane, the morals are wacky, and despite the overwhelming amount of time spent explaining everything, the big third act twists still don’t make a whole lot of sense.”

There was also a Reddit thread that argued that they loved the movie until the twist Now You See Me ending. The OP wrote, “There is no (good) foreshadowing. If you are going to mention the guy in the hoodie turning out to be Mark Ruffalo then… just don’t… It didn’t make sense at all.” One Redditor responded and wrote, “The “twist” feel unearned. A good “twist” will have just enough information to figure it out if you are paying close attention… The Ruffalo twist is out of nowhere and seems completely disconnected from the rest of the movie“

​​​​​​​