10 Clues That Give Away the Plot Twist in Now You See Me

Now You See Me is a slick thriller starring a talented ensemble cast. It follows a grand scheme organized by a mysterious criminal organization known as “The Eye” and carried out by the Four Horsemen. Through illusions and sleights of hand, the Four Horsemen steal millions of dollars from the corrupted elite.

There is a big reveal at the end of Now You See Me. The FBI agent on the case, Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), was actually the ringleader of the entire operation. Because a good plot twist relies on misdirection, there aren’t too many obvious signs that give away this surprise ending. However, viewers may spot some clues peppered throughout the film.

10 Agent Rhodes Is Cloaked in Mystery Early in the Movie

Beginning of the Movie

All the audience knows about Agent Rhodes is that he took down mobsters and other top-notch criminals throughout his career. At the end of Now You See Me, viewers learn that he’s actually the son of Lionel Shrike, a famous magician who died thirty years ago due to the careless negligence of some wealthy people.

Granted, nobody in Now You See Me really gets a backstory, but as the protagonist of the film, Dylan Rhodes should have been more fleshed out. The fact that the audience knows little to nothing about him is a minor hint about how the movie is going to end. He’s also easily able to find the Four Horsemen in Las Vegas and later New Orleans, almost as though he knew exactly where they would be.

9 Interpol Doesn’t Get a Warm Welcome

Beginning of the Movie

During a high-profile investigation, an FBI agent should want all the help they can get. Agent Rhodes is so adverse to French Interpol detective Alma Dray (Mélanie Laurent) joining the team, that it’s an immediate red flag and another hint of the plot twist in Now You See Me.

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Agent Rhodes is less than welcome toward Alma Dray. He remains distant with her about clues, even going as far as taking the book that explains the eye of Horus when she’s sleeping at night and telling her to stay in the car when they go inside the apartment to nab the Horsemen. Alma Dray is smart, so Rhodes doesn’t want her to get too involved, or he’ll risk blowing his cover.

8 The Trigger Word Is Used During the Interrogation

Beginning of the Movie

There are not very many obvious clues that give away the ending of Now You See Me. However, the scene where Agent Rhodes interrogates Étienne Forcier (José Garcia) is definitely a telling moment.

During this interrogation, Agent Rhodes utters a swear word that acts as a trigger, causing Étienne Forcier to hallucinate that he is performing in the Philharmonic symphony. Forcier’s fantasy renders him essentially useless to continue fielding questions from the investigators. It’s possible that Agent Rhodes used the trigger word on purpose because he was afraid that Forcier would reveal too much, thus putting his entire scheme into jeopardy.

7 Magic Is Obviously a Sore Subject for Rhodes

Beginning of the Movie

The investigators following the Four Horsemen are baffled, and frankly, kind of impressed by their tricks. Agent Rhodes is the most vocal about his skepticism. He is so adamant that magic is unreal, and defensive when anyone suggests that it could be, that audiences should immediately become suspicious of him.

After all, it’s always the secret believer who speaks out the most about something. Agent Rhodes likely harbors bittersweet feelings about magic since it was significant to his father yet led to his demise. Rhodes’ exuberant rantings about magic from the beginning of the movie make him seem like the most unlikely leader of the Eye, which in turn, makes him the top suspect.

6 There’s a Revealing Line of Dialogue in Atlas’s Interrogation

Beginning of the Movie

Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) is a smug magician who thinks he’s the smartest person in the room. He is clearly gifted at his craft, since during his interrogation, he manages to escape from his handcuffs, place them around Agent Rhodes’ wrists, and even steal his cell phone.

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It’s a battle of wits between Daniel Atlas and Agent Rhodes. Atlas thinks he’s getting the best of Rhodes, but that’s not the case. In fact, Rhodes says, “I warn you, I can maintain my resolve much longer than you can maintain that phony arrogance.” This line of dialogue may seem like an intimidation tactic, but in all actuality, it’s a carefully disguised way of Rhodes telling the audience that he’s maintaining that resolve at that moment as the elusive fifth Horseman.

5 Thaddeus Bradley Gives the Audience a Hint

Beginning of the Movie

Throughout Now You See Me, it seems like the magicians are always a few steps ahead. Rhodes and Dray end up recruiting a former magician named Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) to help them understand how a magician’s mind works.

The Eye’s goal was to “use magic and delusion to even the scales of justice.” Thaddeus Bradley offers insight into the organization as well as a bit of foreshadowing as he talks with Rhodes and Alma Dray. He says, “You think you know the routine, all the while setting you up for the big punch.” While this line doesn’t hint at the fact that Rhodes is specifically the one behind the crimes, it is a telling sign that somebody in the room isn’t exactly who they seem.

4 The Card Trick on the Plane Is a Big Spoiler

Middle of the Movie

Agent Rhodes’s father was Lionel Shrike, a gifted magician who was unexpectedly killed when a bank vault was dropped in the East River. The vault was made from cheap metal produced by the Elkhorn Company, which is managed by Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine). Rhodes blames his father’s death on Tressler and Thaddeus Bradley, who goaded Shrike into trying the trick in the first place.

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Magic must run in the family. When Alma Dray shows Rhodes a card trick on an airplane, he ends up outwitting her by moving the card to someone else’s lap without her even noticing. Rhodes is just as good at sleights of hand and illusions as his father and the Horsemen, so it’s not too far out of the realm of possibility for him to be part of the crimes.

3 A Lingering Look in New Orleans Is a Slight Giveaway

Middle of the Movie

There are many powerful magicians who are masters at their craft, but the Four Horsemen may be some of the best. In one of the most suspenseful scenes of Now You See Me, the performers rob Arthur Tressler while he’s on stage in New Orleans.

Before the Four Horsemen invite Arthur Tressler onto the stage, there’s a scene between Agent Rhodes and Alma Dray in the audience. Dray is talking about Lionel Shrike’s body. As she’s talking, Rhodes gives her an unreadable look, with the camera lingering on him for a split second longer. Dray doesn’t see this knowing stare, but the audience does. If watching closely, it suggests that he may know more than viewers originally believed.

2 The Four Horsemen Have Access to FBI-Level Gadgets

End of the Movie

The Four Horsemen are usually on the periphery in Now You See Me. They don’t get a lot of screen time since they’re busy following the plans of the mysterious leader of the Eye. However, there are a few moments during the film when the audience gets to see them working behind the scenes on their next heist.

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One of those scenes happens toward the tail end of the movie. Atlas, who took Agent Rhodes’ phone, manages to penetrate a firewall and get valuable insider information. The fact that Rhodes even had his phone in the interrogation room suggests that maybe he wanted this to happen. The Horsemen also have access to other high-end tech gadgets that could only have come from somebody within the FBI. This should lead viewers to conclude that it was Agent Rhodes all along.

1 Agent Rhodes Clearly Frames Thaddeus Bradley

End of the Movie

In Now You See Me, Thaddeus Bradley is a former magician who now makes a living revealing other magicians’ secrets. The audience learns through exposition that Bradley was friends with Lionel Shrike and is partially responsible for his death.

At the end of the movie, Thaddeus Bradley is framed for all the Four Horsemen’s crimes. It should really come as no surprise that the man who framed him was Agent Rhodes. After all, Rhodes clearly showed disdain for Bradley from the first time he met him. More is revealed about Bradley in Now You See Me 2, but in the first film, Rhodes is clearly harboring a vendetta.

An F.B.I. Agent and an Interpol Detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances, and reward their audiences with the money.

Director

Louis Leterrier

Release Date

May 31, 2013

Cast

Woody Harrelson , Mélanie Laurent , Jesse Eisenberg , Michael Caine , Dave Franco , Morgan Freeman , Common , Isla Fisher , Mark Ruffalo

Writers

Ed Solomon , Edward Ricourt , Boaz Yakin

Runtime

115 minutes

Main Genre

Crime

Budget

$75 million

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