2013’s Now You See Me is one big magic trick, with each twist and turn leading toward the grand finale where Mark Ruffalo’s character, Dylan Rhodes, is revealed as the mastermind behind everything. Like all good magic tricks, Now You See Me leaves the audience wanting more, and after Now You See Me 2 dropped in 2016, the franchise will become a trilogy with Now You See Me: Now You Don’t in November 2025.
Also like a good magic trick, Now You See Me‘s ending leaves the viewer wondering what clues they might have missed. It’s certainly a movie worth rewatching, as all sorts of small details start clicking into place and taking on an entirely new meaning. One clue, however, feels so overt in hindsight that it’s a miracle more people didn’t realize Agent Rhodes was the secret “fifth horseman” there and then.
Agent Rhodes Apparently Performs A Magic Trick Halfway Into Now You See Me
Since Agent Rhodes is secretly a magician, it’s fairly vital that Now You See Me doesn’t show him pulling off magic tricks prior to the big reveal. Boldly, however, Rhodes appears to perform a card trick in plain sight not even halfway into Now You See Me‘s runtime.
The moment comes as Rhodes and Interpol’s Agent Dray take a flight to New Orleans in pursuit of the Four Horsemen. Looking to get inside the criminals’ minds, Dray attempts a basic “is this your card?” trick on her partner, who is less than amused by her antics. After some setup, Rhodes points out that his card has actually jumped over to another passenger’s lap.
Now You See Me never goes back and explicitly confirms it, but logic suggests Rhodes is responsible for moving the card in this scene, and there are several big clues to support the theory.
For starters, it’s highly unlikely that Dray could have inadvertently sent the card flying (and made it to land so perfectly) without either noticing herself or the accident happening in-shot. A far more plausible explanation is that the professional magician next to her threw the card in secret – a feat any illusionist of his caliber could undoubtedly execute.
Secondly, Rhodes is a little suspicious when he tries to subtly convince Dray that she was responsible for the mysterious flying card by retorting, “nice shuffle.” This line feels like Rhodes trying to misdirect his audience (Dray) into ignoring the hidden truth, just like any good magician would. If Rhodes really hadn’t caused the card to move, he likely wouldn’t bother offering up an explanation for it.
The final clue is what Rhodes does on-camera while the trick happens. A running theme throughout Now You See Me is the idea that “the real trick is always happening somewhere else.” As Dray prepares the cards for her trick, Rhodes begins discussing vital details about the case, namely that there could be a fifth member of the Horsemen. While he distracts Dray with the equivalent of a big explosion of glitter, Rhodes has the perfect chance to take the card and fling it without being noticed.
Now You See Me Drops Other Clues Earlier In The Movie
Now You See Me‘s plane trick is the first major clue that Rhodes is the fifth horseman because it’s the first time a magic-based explanation makes more sense than the alternative. There are, however, earlier clues in the movie that are less obvious.
Two clever hints come during the interrogation scenes that follow Now You See Me‘s bank heist. Merritt calls out the agent’s “daddy issues,” which foreshadows the later reveal that Rhodes is getting revenge for his late father, Lionel Shrike. The audience, of course, hasn’t heard Shrike’s story at this point in the movie, so cannot make the connection.
The second clue is dropped during Étienne’s interview, as Rhodes triggers the suspect into playing air violin by uttering the word “bullsh*t.” Rhodes would know the trigger word and has clearly done this on purpose, but when the scene first plays out, it goes unnoticed. It’s entirely believable that a frustrated agent losing his leads would curse in such a way.
But when one looks at the trigger word, the daddy issues, and the card on the plane, something isn’t adding up, and assembling these three details may lead astute first-time viewers toward deducing that Agent Rhodes is Now You See Me‘s wizard behind the curtain.
- Release Date
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May 31, 2013
- Runtime
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116 minutes
- Director
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Louis Leterrier
