Summary

• Now You See Me draws from heist movies and crime capers, adding a magic twist for a unique experience.
• Now You See Me 3 has been announced with the main cast returning, but fans will have to wait for filming to start.
• Fans looking for similar movies can explore other heist films, star-studded capers, or thrillers with magicians.

Now You See Me draws inspiration from heist movies and crime capers while adding a magic twist, and the best movies like it find other fascinating ways to embrace these genres. The 2013 film follows Mark Ruffalo's FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes as he is on the trail of a group of magicians known as the Four Horsemen who are using their "magic tricks" to pull off daring heists for an unknown party. Along with the various genre elements, Now You See Me also features a star-studded cast with Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine ing Ruffalo.

After a long wait, Now You See Me 3 has been announced with many of the main cast returning alongside some new characters. However, with the release not expected until 2025, there will still be more of a wait ahead for fans, making it the best time to seek out some other fun movies that capture that same vibe. From movies that take new approaches to the heist formula to star-studded capers to thrillers with magicians at the center, there are a surprising amount of great movies like Now You See Me for fans to check out.

20 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

Ethan Hunt And His Team Are On The Run And Pulling Off The Impossible

Tom Cruise's incredible stunts steal the show in the Mission: Impossible movies, but some of the best aspects of the franchise are the team elements. While the first three movies in the series focus squarely on Ethan Hunt, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol served as an example of how much fun it can be to have some other characters for Hunt to play off when he's trying to save the world.

While the team of IMF may be a little more sophisticated than the Four Horsemen in Now You See Me, the use of gadgets and incredibly planned-out heists make them seem almost magical at times. Hunt and his team may be the good guys but, Ghost Protocol (and many other Mission: Impossible movies) see them on the run from the law, giving them an anti-hero quality as well.

19 The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

An Art Thief Forms A Romance With The Detective Who Is Chasing Him

During Pierce Brosnan's era as James Bond, he took some time away from the 007 franchise to play another suave and cool hero in The Thomas Crown Affair. A remake of the Steve McQueen caper and directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard), this fun and sexy crime romp finds Brosnan playing a successful playboy who has a unique hobby of stealing priceless pieces of art. However, he soon finds himself being pursued by an intriguing detective (Rene Russo).

Now You See Me doesn't have much of a romance angle to speak of, while The Thomas Crown Affair is mostly focused on the romance that blossoms between these two people on opposite sides of the law. However, while Crown is a much more grounded thief than the magicians, the climatic heist in the movie is the same kind of fun and inventive sequence that makes Now You See Me so entertaining.

18 The Sting (1973)

Two Conmen Team Up To Pull A Grift On A Mob Boss

Following their iconic team-up in the Western movie classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Robert Redford and Paul Newman ed forces again to put their amazing chemistry to work in the crime genre. The duo star in The Sting as two conmen who, after a mutual friend is killed by a ruthless crime boss (Robert Shaw), rally together to make the villain pay.

The movie is a funny, light, and hugely entertaining ride as the audience follows these colorful characters planning the perfect con together. The dynamic of the con feels very similar to seeing a heist plan come together. Like Now You See Me, The Sting loves to misdirect the audience and confuse them with plenty of backstabbing and double-crosses. However, both films build to a clever twist that allows the story to end in a terrific crowd-pleasing fashion.

17 Lucky Number Slevin (2006)

A Case Of Mistaken Identity Puts A Man In The Middle Of A Gang War

An early scene in Lucky Number Slevin introduces the idea of a "Kansas City Shuffle", explaining that it is "when everybody looks right, you go left." That sense of misdirection has a similar feel to Now You See Me and provides a lot of fun in seeing how the movie can trick the audience into looking the wrong way. Josh Hartnett stars as Slevin, a seemingly ordinary young man caught up in a case of mistaken identity that puts him in the middle of a gang war between two bitter criminal rivals.

The movie is darker and more grounded than Now You See Me, with a lot less of the blockbuster flash. However, it does have a good sense of humor. The reveals in both films are also similar with the motivations of key characters showing how the trick was pulled off. Morgan Freeman even plays a similar role in both twists.

16 Sneakers (1992)

Security Experts Are Pulled Into A Trap

While there are a lot of great heist movies that revel in the grittiness of the crime genre, Now You See Me embraces the fun of seeing some likable characters working together to pull off an intricate and brilliant plan. That is also the approach taken by the hugely entertaining and vastly underrated heist movie Sneakers. Robert Redford leads a cast that includes Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, and River Phoenix as a band a skilled operatives working as security consultants. However, when they are drawn into a trap, they must use their skills to pull off a real heist.

Like Now You See Me, Sneakers is a story about the sins of the past returning and betrayals leading to revenge. However, it is also a fun caper with a terrific ensemble. It is a lot of fun to see Hollywood legends like Redford and Poitier embracing their comedic side and not taking themselves too seriously.

15 The Brothers Bloom (2008)

Conmen Brothers Target An Eccentric Heiress

Before wowing the world with Knives Out, writer and director Rian Johnson made his first foray into the lighter side of crime movies with this story about Stephen (Now You See Me's Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom Bloom (Adrien Brody), two conmen brothers. The pair attempt to con Penelope Stamp (Rachel Weisz), a wealthy heiress but Stephen falls for the mark, complicating the plot.

As seen in Knives Out and the Peacock series Poker Face, Johnson has a love for these fun and twisting crime stories and seems to relish playing with the genre. Like Now You See Me, there is a lot of fun in seeing the pieces of this complex plot fall into place, but the real entertainment in The Brothers Bloom comes from watching the characters interact. The Brothers Bloom is a unique crime caper that has its own sense of quirky humor and magic to it.

14 After the Sunset (2004)

A Fed Closes In On A Thief Planning His Last Score

Now You See Me's Woody Harrelson stars in this much more laid-back take on a heist movie also elevated by a star-studded cast. After Sunset stars Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek as two master jewel thieves who've escaped Harrelson's FBI agent before. As the couple plans one last big score before returning, Harrelson closes in on them.

Set in the Bahamas, After the Sunset has a uniquely easygoing vibe that may not have been a hit with either critics or audiences at the time of its release but has garnered it a stronger following over the years since. Like the thieves in Now You See Me, Brosnan makes for a criminal who is easy to cheer for and there is a fun friendship that develops between him and Harrelson as they play their game of cat and mouse.

13 Inside Man (2006)

A Detective Deals With A Bank Robbery Turned Hostage Situation

Denzel Washington and Spike Lee team up for their fourth movie together in the crime thriller Inside Man. Washington leads an all-star cast of heavy hitters, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Willem Dafoe, and Jodie Foster, as a detective negotiating with Clive Owen's robber who is holding hostages inside the bank as part of his master heist plan.

Lee uses the backdrop of New York City in the way that only he can, adding so much character to what could have been just another by-the-numbers cops and robbers movie. However, the thriller elements are also intriguing, with more and more complexities added to this crime, leading to plenty of mind games that will stimulate fans of Now You See Me's many switcheroos and disappearing acts. It all leads to a satisfying reveal that adds to the more light-hearted take on the heist genre.

12 Fast Five (2011)

Dom And His Crew Plan A Heist Of A Drug Lord's Fortune

One of the complaints against Now You See Me is the improbable nature of the heists, even taking the "magic" aspect of the story into . However, that sort of mindless fun is what many people look for in movies like this and Fast Five. The ever-accelerating Fast & Furious franchise kicked up into a new gear with its fifth installment, which leaned heavily into the heist aspect of the previous movies, bringing on new recurring cast member Dwayne Johnson for the first time, and the series has never looked back.

In the spirit of the 2003 remake of The Italian Job, Fast Five is all about a team of car-centric thieves using some theatrical planning and execution that Now You See Me fans will surely appreciate. It's not all high-octane muscle from the crew, and they have their own set of tricks up their sleeves to surprise the audience.

11 Logan Lucky (2017)

Two Brothers Plan A Heist At A NASCAR Race

For those who enjoy the structure and execution of an elaborate heist plan, Steven Soderbergh's Logan Lucky is a must-see. This is Soderbergh returning to the fun crime genre after the Ocean's movies, but substituting the cool sophistication of that franchise with a dimmer ensemble of characters with Southern charm. Led by Channing Tatum and Adam Driver as two brothers planning on robbing a local speedway, the would-be criminals at the heart of the scheme are simply lovable.

With ing roles played by the likes of Daniel Craig and Seth McFarlane, the movie is filled with big laughs and a clever script that makes the heist exciting and unique. Even if the main characters aren't the slick criminal geniuses of Now You See Me's world, it all comes together in a thrilling way that heist genre fans will love.