The Prestige

British director Christopher Nolan's (BATMAN BEGINS) eclectic resume gains another interesting entry with THE PRESTIGE. The basic plot, which concerns the rivalry between two magicians in early 20th-century London, closely resembles a fellow 2006 movie--Edward Norton's THE ILLUSIONIST--and the two films are sure to be closely compared. In Nolan's film, Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale bring the characters of Robert Angier and Alfred Bordon to life. Robert and Alfred were young magician apprentices together, but became bitter rivals as their careers began to shape their adult lives and a terrible accident claimed the life of Robert's wife. In the subsequent years Robert has become wildly jealous of Alfred's superior talents, so in a last ditch attempt to steal some artistic ground he sends his assistant, Olivia (Scarlett Johansson), to infiltrate his rival's lair and steal the secret to a spectacular trick called "The Transported Man." Nolan's film twists and turns down a number of unexpected avenues as it flits back and forth between numerous time periods, creating a movie that needs to be watched as closely as the tricks his leading characters perform. Bale and Jackman perfectly execute their roles, winding up the tension to an unbearable degree as they willfully enter into some dangerously competitive patterns of behavior. Michael Caine makes his second appearance in a Nolan film, almost reprising his role of Alfred in BATMAN BEGINS by playing Cutter, Jackman's mentor; and Johansson pouts and flounces across the elaborate sets like a classic Hollywood screen siren. Stylistically, THE PRESTIGE is full of dark, gloomy colors and a palpable feeling of menace, which is an impeccable visual match for the viewer's growing unease as the protagonists push each other to increasingly ridiculous lengths. It's not an easy film to digest, but Nolan's movie offers intelligent and challenging fare that will likely reveal further cinematic magic on repeated viewings.

Cast:

"[I]ntricate and elaborate....It has a satisfyingly puzzlelike structure, zipping around in time and scattering clues throughout its busy scenes and frames." -- A. O. Scott , (New York Times)

"[A]n aggressively devious sleight-of-hand thriller directed by Christopher Nolan, the magic, even at its most clever, is powered by currents -- sometimes literal ones -- of electricity and danger." -- Grade: B+ -- Owen Gleiberman , (Entertainment Weekly)

4 stars out of 5 -- "Nolan has crafted a cinematic sleight of hand that's as intriguing as it is dazzling....Like all the best magicians, Nolan shows much but tells very little." -- Robert James , (Total Film)

3.5 stars out of 4 -- "Nolan directs the film exactly like a great trick, so you want to see it again the second it's over." -- Peter Travers , (Rolling Stone)

"Lurching from saturnine cockney idealist to domestic tyrant, Bale is especially charismatic." -- Graham Fuller , (Sight and Sound)

"[The characters'] grudge matches foreground the twists and turns of Nolan's customary looped narrative as acts of aggression, asserting the brutal prerogative of the storyteller, always one step ahead." -- Film Comment Staff , (Film Comment)

4 stars out of 5 -- "THE PRESTIGE is a clever and complex film that revels in its dark material and slip in enough twists to keep even the most cynical viewers on the edge of their seats." -- Natalie Braine , (Ultimate DVD)

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