The film “The Illusion of Deception” was first released in May 2013 and immediately became the subject of general discussion. They tried to compare a picture about four impudent magicians with other works in a similar genre (Prestige by K. Nolan, Illusionist N. Berger). However, the script of the new movie hit only remotely echoed the screenplay of already known films, so the work of the director L. Letrier was distinguished by some special atmosphere. What other advantages is the film “The Illusion of Deception” endowed with and is it worth watching its sequel?
The creators of the picture
Frenchman Louis Leterrier (director of Illusions of Deception) began his career in Hollywood, collaborating with Luke Besson. In 2002, together they released the action movie "Carrier" with Jason Statham in the title role.
In 2005, Leterrier began producing the crime film Danny Chain Dog, which featured Jet Li and
Morgan Freeman. Then the director took up the projects "Carrier 2", "The Incredible Hulk", "Clash of the Titans."
“The illusion of deception” seems to “fall out” of the general list of works by Louis Leterrier, since the picture was shot in the genre of a detective thriller, and not an action movie or action. Three authors worked at once on a script telling about the adventures of the illusionists: Ed Solomon, Edward Rickurt and Boaz Yakin. Yakin is also the author of the scripts for the films “Prince of Persia” and “Dirty Dancing 2”.
The project was produced by Alexander Kurttsman (“The Proposal”) and Roberto Orsi (“Star Trek: Retribution”).
The film “Illusion of Deception” in Russian was released on June 12, 2013. The duties of the dubbing director fell on the shoulders of Vsevolod Kuznetsov. Behind the scenes are the voices of Prokhor Chekhovsky, Sergey Smirnov and Dmitry Polonsky, as well as many other actors.
Short story
Playing cat and mouse with FBI employees is the main theme of the painting “The Illusion of Deception”. The duration of the thriller is 125 minutes. During this time, agents Dylan Rhodes and Alma Dray chase four brilliant magicians on their heels, but their opponents are always one step ahead.
And this story began with the fact that the best illusionists of America were joined by a mysterious "one" in one team. He left them with detailed instructions on how to turn the
scam of the century, and he himself left the scene of the action. Exactly one year later, Daniel, Henley, Merritt and Jack demonstrate a trick with a bank robbery in Paris in front of a multi-thousandth hall in Las Vegas. The attention of the special services switches to Four Horsemen, because a little later it turned out a funny circumstance: the super-protected bank was really robbed by magicians, while the suspects did not leave the scene. Illusion of deception!
The plot of the film after this begins to develop rapidly. FBI agents chase the Riders across US cities, but they constantly slip out of their hands. Everyone around is racking their brains: how do illusionists manage to drive so many smart people by the nose? The answer to this question lies on the surface, but agents of Interpol and the FBI do not see him point blank. Why? The situation is perfectly characterized by the slogan of the film: "The closer you are, the less you see."
Mark Ruffalo as Dylan Rhodes
Colin Firth, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jim Carrey, Sasha Baron Cohen, Hugh Grant tried on the role of Dylan Rhodes - an agent of the FBI and the cunning "Fifth Horseman". But then the creators of the picture decided that the main character should be a little younger. Then the option of involving Jake Gyllenhaal in the project “The Illusion of Deception” was considered. The actors Gyllenhaal and Ruffalo were discussed for a long time, as a result, the image of Dylan Rhodes went to Mark.
Agent Rhodes appears clumsy and a bit rustic. He seems to grab the track of the Four Horsemen, but then, by absurd chance, loses it. Like an unstable swing, the course of events in the film “The Illusion of Deception” fluctuates. The duration of the picture is equal to about two hours, but you do not have to be bored.
The final twist in the plot is especially impressive when it reveals the truth about who was the secret "keeper" of magicians. The clumsy Dylan Rhodes instantly turns into a cunning villain who has brought the art of illusion to a whole new level.
Mark Rufallo, who played the role of Dylan, until approximately 2007 played in class "B" films. However, after working with David Fincher and participating in his detective "Zodiac", Rufallo's career went uphill: he had the opportunity to play the main character in the Island of the Damned by M. Scorsese, get the role of the Hulk in the Avengers franchise and Dylan Rhodes in the two-pronged Illusion cheating. "
Jesse Eisenberg as Jay Daniel Atlas
Jesse Eisenberg, the star of the film "Social Network", was the first to sign a contract for the filming of the thriller "The Illusion of Deception." Actors Isla Fisher, Wooddy Harrelson and others joined much later.
Jesse got the role of Jay Daniel Atlas in the picture - a talented magician who is especially good at
tricks with cards. Eisenberg was seriously preparing for the shoot and took additional lessons on cardistry skills. However, at the very beginning of the film, when Atlas performs complex manipulations with maps, a close-up view shows not at all the hands of Jesse, but the hands of his understudies - Dan and Dave Buck. The twin brothers mentioned also acted as consultants on many other tricks shown in the detective thriller Illusion of Deception.
The description of the tricks done by the “Riders” in the film suggests that the main characters are brave and desperate people. Against the background of his companions, Jay Atlas performed by Eisenberg even looks a little self-confident and arrogant. And yet he is an order of magnitude lower in his mental abilities than the true team leader - Dylan Rhodes.
Jesse Eisenberg until 2010 played in little-known films. But then he was lucky to get into the biography of the film "Social Network" and play the role of Mark Zuckerberg. After an Oscar nomination and gaining popularity, Jesse began to choose projects more carefully, and among his works there are quite entertaining films: Woody Allen’s comedy “Roman Adventures”, another movie version of Fedor Dostoyevsky’s novel “The Double”, a fantastic action movie “Batman against Superman”. After the premiere of “Illusions of Deception 2”, it became known that Eisenberg will not leave the franchise and will appear in the image of Jay Atlas again in 2018.
“The Illusion of Deception”: Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves
The only woman on the Riders' men’s team is a certain red-haired Henley Reeves. They tried to offer the role of Henley to Olivia Wilde, Amanda Seyfred, but in the end, rivals beat Isla Fisher.
In the film “The Illusion of Deception”, Isla Fisher plays one of the main roles. For a girl who previously starred in low-budget films like Shopaholic or Scooby-Doo, such a project was a great success. However, at the time of the filming of the second part, Isla was carrying her third child, so she did not take part in the sequel. Whether the actress will return to the set of the franchise in 2017 is unknown.
In Ailai’s career, little has changed after participating in the Illusion of Deception. She starred in The Great Gatsby with Leonardo DiCaprio, but played a small role. In the same year, viewers were able to see Ayla in the comedy Steal My Wife, along with Jennifer Aniston. Since 2014, Islay has suspended her acting career, so far there is no information on when to wait for new films with Fisher.
Other role performers
Many famous actors honored the movie "The Illusion of Deception" with their presence. The plot of the film suggests the presence of at least five main characters. Eisenberg and Fisher played the two Riders, while Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games) and David Franco (Macho and Nerd) embodied the images of the other two team members.
Morgan Freeman acted as a whistleblower whistleblower. With his on-screen hero, Dylan Rhodes had personal accounts, so in the final of the picture “The Riders” framed Thaddeus Bradley and put him in jail.
Agent Rhodes' partner in the operation to capture the illusionists was a certain representative of Interpol Alma Drey. The role of Alma was played by Melanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds). According to the plot of the film, Drey was the only one who guessed who was really a “puppeteer” in this mess.
Perhaps one of the most titled members of the ensemble is Michael Kane. On his account two Oscars, three Golden Globes and the rank of commander of the Order of the British Empire. The modern viewer knows the 80-year-old Kane thanks to the films “Interstellar”, “The Dark Knight”, “Beginning” and “Prestige”.
Musical background
The musical design of the film L. Leterrier was engaged in by Brian Tyler. He worked on the soundtracks for the paintings "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles", "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Fast and the Furious 7".
Songs from The Illusion of Deceit that were not written by Tyler are Entertainment by Phoenix and Codec by Zedd.
World premiere and box office
In May 2013, L. Leterrier presented his film to the U.S. public. At the end of the month, Malaysians, Canadians and Turks were also able to watch the detective thriller “The Illusion of Deception”.
The release date for the film in Egypt and Iceland was set for June 5, 2013. This month, the film was reviewed in Greece, Lebanon, India and the former CIS countries.
July 3, the British and Irish finally got acquainted with the plot of the film "The Illusion of Deception." The film's release date in Japan was postponed to October 2013.
For the entire rental period, “The Illusion of Deception” has raised almost $ 352 million. This despite the fact that the shooting cost only 75 million. Such success impressed the representatives of Summit Entertainment, so it was immediately decided to open a whole franchise that tells about the adventures of the illusionists.
Critics reviews about the film
Professional critics about the film work of L. Leterrier left mixed reviews. The “illusion of deception” has been characterized both positively and negatively. Moreover, the ratio of votes is 1: 1.
Russian critics are less demanding, so the percentage of positive feedback is slightly higher.
In principle, all critics agreed that by the end of the picture the famously twisted plot begins to “sink”. But you can’t discount the fact that the action is intriguing. No one wants to turn off the movie in the middle.
Many reviewers did not like the "naivety" of tricks, the predictability of the plot. But these allegations are controversial, as evidenced by spectator reviews. "The illusion of deception" aroused genuine interest in an ordinary audience. The average viewer was delighted with the picture of L. Leterrier. There are several reasons for this.
Spectator reviews: “The Illusion of Deception” - 2013 movie hit
Viewers first of all appreciated the style of storytelling: all the tricks were presented in the form of a reality show, they were created as if for people on this side of the screen, and not for the characters in the frame. In addition, each trick was then exposed, which gave the tape a special charm. Thanks to this technique, the audience has become a direct participant in the events of the detective "The Illusion of Deception."
Description of the plot and cast in the promotional materials for the film is another definite bonus to the creators of the picture. The casting directors worked hard when choosing the performers: Eisenberg, Ruffalo, Harrelson, Freeman, Kane - all these characters are of genuine interest to the public and in themselves are good advertising for the film project.
However, there were in the general chorus of positive audience vibes and negative reviews. For example, complaints again sounded about plot flaws. The beginning of the picture looks pretentious, but in the finale the truth opens in a few minutes and the whole halo of “mystery” is blown away like a soap bubble. Moreover, the filmmakers introduced many additional storylines, which distracted from the main action. As a result, after watching the detective, it is difficult to recall the order of events and why was all this fuss about?
Illusion of Deception 2: Differences Between Films
Whatever the reviews, “The Illusion of Deception” has collected an impressive amount at the box office, which has become a good help for opening a franchise. As often happens, L. Leterrier considered the continuation of the story inappropriate, so he refused to take the director's chair. He was replaced by John Chu - director of the films "Throw-Cobra-2" and "Shan Forward 2".
The main cast of the audience did not count Islay Fisher. Her place was taken by Lizzy Kaplan, known for the films "Mean Girls" and "Bachelors". The role of the main antagonist was given to the "former" Harry Potter - Daniel Radcliffe.
From such rearrangements in the film crew, the quality of the sequel has noticeably worsened. On the Rotten tomatoes website, critics left only 33% of the positive reviews. Portal Metacritic gave the creation of John Chu 47 points out of 100 possible.
In the sequel to The Illusions of Deception, the plot becomes even more naive than before. This time, Dylan Rhodes, along with his Riders, aims to expose a businessman stealing personal data from users' mobile phones. But the plan is frustrated, and the entire company of illusionists, led by Rhodes, becomes dependent on a certain Walter Merby who threatens to declassify them. From now on, the Riders have to play spy games not only with the FBI, but also with techno-magician performed by Daniel Radcliffe. The final battle ends again with the score in favor of Dylan Rhodes and his minions.
The audience at the premiere of the sequel “Illusions of Deception” reacted more restrainedly, but the audience is still eager to see tricks and tricks, so the number of viewers at the movie shows is not decreasing. By June 2016, the film had grossed $ 238 million at the box office. The official rental will end in October 2016 in Japan.
Even before the premiere of the film by John Chu, representatives of the film company Lionsgate officially announced that they would extend the franchise - in 2018 the premiere of the second sequel to the thriller “Illusion of Deception” will premiere.