In the opening scenes of Entangled—the new movie staring classically trained master illusionist, Harris III as himself—the camera focuses on the magician who has immersed himself underwater in his bathtub as he prepares for the illusion of his life. It is a personal test of endurance and determination that will take him one step closer to mastering a craft that has provided entertainment and amazed audiences for generations. I found it a fitting scene to open a film that left me holding my breath numerous times myself as his story played out in a multitude of formats.
The movie is really three parts in one. The first is a narrative film with Harris bringing the audience into his story as he recalls his beginnings from his personal journal.
The second is an acted portrayal of Harris’ relationship with his real life mentor, Mr. David McMichael, who first showed him “the ropes” of illusion. This is done through short vinettes from the perspective of a 1920s boy who is taught the art of magic from a Master Illusionist. The story mirrors Harris’ own evolution from boy to headstrong young magician, fully determined to outdo and outperform the Great Houdini.
And the third brings us into a live performance, much like the ones that have been featured on thousands of stages throughout the United States and has captured the spotlight in over 15 countries on five continents. It is here where those unfamiliar with Harris will quickly be sucked in with not only his craft but of his master storytelling as well. You find yourself not only hanging on to every movement, but every word.
If you’ve been around magic shows, you’ve seen these tricks before: The Chinese Water Torture, sawing a lady in half, the levitating table and the triple-escape made famous by Houdini, The Metamorphosis (think quick change of places behind a flash of a curtain).
But Harris has a keen and quiet presence about him that somehow gives you the element of surprise, even when you know what’s coming. That quality is on full display when he showcases one of the first tricks he mastered from a kid’s magic set: The Rope Trick. The camera stays close and for five minutes, you’re amazed by a guy and three ropes. You’ve seen it before. You may even own it, buried in a closet magic set. But Harris still has a way of breathing life into an old trick.
Harris has dedicated his life into building a redemptive message into everything he does. And he admits that speaking about Jesus Christ has cost him a bigger platform that is very much attainable. But he feels God’s agenda deserves to be heard, more than he deserves to be seen and so the magician-with-a-message takes center stage.
Harris delivers a full-on sermon onstage at the end of his performance that is delivered with the same precision and edge-of-your-seat storytelling as the rest of the narrative.
The movie deals with many themes, including struggling with purpose, discovering what are lies and what is truth, and the power of deception that we all face in this world. It is packed with lines of truth that will require much time of reflection—lines like, “For everything, there is a key,” and, “You can’t live your life by your senses, or you will always find yourself confused about what the truth really is,” and my favorite, “There are people so poor that all they have is money.” After that last one, Adam (the guy that started it all) was thrown under the bus for man’s overreaching nature after the Garden of Eden wasn’t enough for him.
I’ve spent my entire life loving magic. I had the play sets. I performed shows for my friends and family. I grew up glued to the television during David Copperfield’s prime-time events. I’d rather spend $25 seeing a magic show in a hole-in-the-wall theater than $150 on a Broadway-style production. I’m still waiting for America to quit voting for opera singers and crown a magician on America’s Got Talent. Throughout my consumption of enjoyment of a good magic trick, I’ve seen a lot of cheese—over-the-top performances, lots of out-of-control arm waving and music that transported you back a few decades.
Harris is one of my favorite performances I have seen in this space in years. His delivery never comes across as forced. His story telling is engaging and humorous where it needs to be. And the soundtrack on Entangled during both the drama and the live performances is spot-on perfection.
If this were purely an entertaining performance, I’d give it my highest ratings. But the fact that the magic, so masterfully offered, is simply a delivery and attention-grabber for a greater message of salvation and redemption, makes Entangled one of the most recommended movies I’ve seen in our industry.
