login/register

In 1878, two young stage magicians clash in a darkened salon during the course of a fraudulent seance. From this moment on, their lives become webs of deceit and exposure, secrets and revelations, as they feud to outwit and destroy one another. Their rivalry takes them both to the peak of their careers, but with terrible consequences.

Playing with the audience's mind is something Christopher Nolan does very well. In Memento he used a character's 10 minute memory to unwrap a plot in reverse; in The Prestige Nolan weaves his web of mystery through two Victorian master illusionists locked in a bitter rivalry. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play the illusionists, Borden and Angier respectively, who start out as colleagues then split off to pursue their own acts and gain fame on the stage illusionist circuit. The rivalry begins while they are still working together and Angier's wife (an assistant in the act, played by Piper Perabo) drowns, possibly due to Borden's recklessness. From then on the film charts the illusionists' attempts to sabotage each other's performances in an escalating to-and-fro of revenge and jealousy.

As in Memento, Nolan plays with non-linear narrative, moving between different times and places to tell the story in a carefully planned fashion that feeds the viewer with information and intrigue at just the right pace. Several characters and situations are set up in the first part of the film and are developed in parallel as the film progresses. One of the most bizarre elements of the story concerns the scientist Nikolai Tesla who is played by David Bowie putting on a strange accent (is it Russian? Irish? Japanese?), and looking oddly similar to Ricky Gervais. Tesla is contacted to develop a truly amazing piece of technology for use by Angier in a stage performance of the one trick of Borden's he simply cannot explain. Also beefing up the cast is Michael Caine, who plays Angier's advisor and serves to keep the audience from getting too confused by explaining elements of the illusions and the theory behind stage performances. Scarlett Johansson stars as Angier's replacement assistant, who soon becomes embroiled in the rivalry, and torn between whom she can trust and whom she should help.

Bale's performance is excellent. Although his strong London accent is disconcerting at first, it is at least consistent throughout the film and fitting with his character's background. He succeeds in portraying a performer who cares more about the skill of the trick than making a big show of what he's doing: one scene in particular where he is performing a technically flawless trick but being boo'd by his crowd is especially poignant. Jackman is also on form conveying Angier's obsession and frustration with intensity. It is only Bowie's acting that splits audiences between those who think it's a brilliantly eccentric and idiosyncratic performance and those who can't get over the accent he's putting on.

The "prestige" of the title is the third act of a staged magic trick. After the pledge (showing the audience something ordinary but which is probably not) and the turn (where the ordinary is made extraordinary), the prestige is when the effect of the illusion is produced and the audience is amazed by what they have witnessed. Cleverly, Nolan's film follows just this format and the final prestige may surprise even the sharpest audience. The Prestige is such an intricately crafted work that no single spoiler can reveal the whole and the film leaves questions hanging and themes hinted that will stay with the viewer for weeks. One of the most well crafted films of 2006.

Overall this is an intriguing and haunting film that manages to surprise even when having read the book, from which it is very different, but retains its essence.

The Prestige attempts a hat trick by combining a ridiculously good-looking cast, a highly regarded new director, and more than one sleight of hand. Does it pull it off? Sort of. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play rival magicians who were once friends before an on-stage tragedy drove a wedge between them. While Bale's Alfred Borden is a more skilled illusionist, Jackman's Rufus Angier is the better showman; much of the film's interesting first half is their attempts to sabotage--and simultaneously, top--each other's tricks. Even with the help of a prop inventor (Michael Caine) and a comely assistant (Scarlett Johansson), Angier can't match Borden's ultimate illusion: The Transporting Man. Angier's obsession with learning Borden's trick leads him to an encounter with an eccentric inventor (David Bowie) in a second half that gets bogged down in plot loops and theatrics. Director Christopher Nolan, reuniting with his Batman Begins star Bale, demonstrates the same dark touch that hued that film, but some plot elements--without giving anything away--seem out of place with the rest of the movie. It's better to sit back and let the sometimes-clunky turns steer themselves than try to draw back the black curtain. That said, The Prestige still manages to entertain long after the magician has left the stage--a feat in itself. --Ellen A. Kim

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.filmcritique.co.uk