Everyone enjoys being tricked by an illusionist or magician, this sense of chicanery is what new movie Now You See Me 2 delves into in a plot that involves hypnotism, deception, and elaborate set pieces. Not only is it based on a motley crew of magicians, the Four Horsemen led by Jesse Eisenberg, but the illusionist’s sense of intrigue and mystery drives the plot too.

As with any type of magic, the tricks in the film work because you have no idea how they’ve been done. Sometimes, however, we do get to peak behind the curtain.

Like, for instance, learning how David Copperfield avoided getting badly hurt performing his incredible death saw trick in Las Vegas’ Caesar’s Palace back in 1988. In the trick Copperfield is bolted inside a box and a giant death saw is lowered and seems to saw him in half. Yet at the end he appears unscathed. How the heck did he do it?

All is explained by The Secrets of Magic Revealed explains: “When we see David lay down on his stomach in the box and the walls of the box are raise to conceal him, he quickly tucks his legs beneath his stomach and an assistant’s legs replace where his were in the straps. The assistant is laying on their back with their legs bent in the air, with their upper body obscured in the table, similarly to David and his lower half. The body then appears to be one whole, and the blade is judiciously positioned to miss both bodies and go through the slight gap between them. The trick must be carried out in perfect timing in order for it to be pulled off, and Copperfield does this flawlessly.”

There are plenty more classic tricks explained on The Secrets of Magic Revealed. You can watch the trailer for Now You See Me 2 below.

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