Review : The Prestige

The Prestige begins like a camera completely out of focus. Nothing makes any sense. Nolan's film flips back and forth through time like he's having a Memento flashback, characters wander across the screen talking about things we can't understand. For a moment I thought I'd misread. Bit by bit, everything comes into focus, a gradual process until by its end the film is brilliant, the complete picture is crystal clear. During the film, you will feel irritated, confused, exasperated, frustrated, but before it's over, you'll fall in love with it. It's not just Nolan's best film, it's one of the best of the year.

Unlike the Illusionist, The Prestige is actually about magicians. The film ducks in and out of the lives of two rival performers, as they build their careers and trample over one another on their way to success in the London of the late 19th century. Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) start out together, working for a rival magician. Both aspire to a career in magic, but Angier refuses to get his hands dirty while Borden proclaims that the only way to become a great magician, is to be total committed. Things go wrong and they become enemies. Angier holds a grudge against Borden and they go out in the world to make their fortune.

Meanwhile Borden has an ace up his sleeve: an unbeatable trick. He walks in one door and out another across the room and calls it "The Transported Man". Unable to fathom how he's done it, the trick drives Angier completely mad. Their rivalry grows more vicious and desperate, with their magic skills used not only to surprise audiences but wreak havoc on one another.

The cast is beyond comparison. Jackman and Bale are supremely gripping as Angier and Borden. Michael Caine is back as another crotchety mentor, specially due to his outstanding performances. David Bowie shows up playing completely against his type as Dr. Nikola Tesla Scarlett Johansson and Piper Perabo play minor roles in the film. They are assistants, so their job is to make a good impression. If I have given the impression that the film is unduly opaque, I do have to mention the fact that following it may prove impossible, due to the continuous twists and turns. In the plot there are used modern techniques that facilitate the transmission of these intense feelings. Thus, it can go over some people's heads. It's completely absorbing, making Nolan a mastermind of entertainment and art.

Frangulea Andreea Mara