I came back to this with fresh eyes... yet I stand by my previous review.

When a hitman's methodically calculated job goes sideways, he realizes, to his chagrin, that he's become a loose end, and that he'd better do something about it to survive. Shame on me for rooting for an assassin, but that's how compelling Fincher's latest jaunt is for me. The protagonist's greatest liability (besides a fondness for the bucket hat) is his ’70s & ’80s sitcom aliases; if ever there's a sequel, it should involve a middle-aged, shrewd investigator/TV buff connecting the dots with:

Felix Unger
Archibald Bunker
Oscar Madison
Howard Cunningham
Reuben Kincaid
Lou Grant
Sam Malone
George Jefferson
Robert Hartley

Thoroughly entertaining Technicolor biopic plays fast and loose with the facts, yet manages to capture something of the magical spirit of the famed illusionist and escape artist. It benefits considerably from the screen chemistry of married stars Curtis and Leigh. I first saw this when I was 9 and loved it—and it still holds up.

Shot for shot, this seems close to its anime source, yet somehow fumbles along with neither the heart nor artistry of the original. I saw this in a nearly empty IMAX theater 3 days after it opened―yet another indicator that this is all shell, no ghost.