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Everyone loves a good magic trick—a good illusion. You may know you’re being tricked all along—that it’s all just an illusion—but who cares? The fun is in playing along anyway, in letting yourself believe in the unbelievable—while still trying to pay close enough attention to figure out the magician’s secret. No, there’s just nothing like a good magic trick—and when it comes to the big screen, Christopher Nolan is a true magician.
Nolan’s latest trick stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as Angier and Borden, two rival magicians in London at the end of the nineteenth century. Their intense competition begins the first time they meet, and as the two become more and more obsessed with their magic and with finding the perfect trick that will finally upstage the other, they find that it requires sacrifices. Sometimes, it even costs them the things they love the most.
This dark drama opens with Angier’s death—for which Borden is put on trial. As Borden awaits his fate, a man comes to him in prison, offering to pay for his secrets. As an offering of good faith, he gives Borden Angier’s journal—and Borden begins to read their story from his enemy’s point of view.
As is often the case with Nolan’s movies (take, for example, his first major release, Memento, which was told in reverse order), the story isn’t told in chronological order. Instead, it’s told as it’s written in the two men’s carefully kept journals. The chronology and the point-of-view skip around quite a bit, which makes it perplexing at times—but that’s all part of Nolan’s signature sleight of hand. He makes you work to keep up. And while you know that he’s somehow playing with you, no matter how hard you try to figure out his secrets, he’s constantly one step ahead of you, ready to throw in an extra twist that you weren’t expecting.
Not long ago, Edward Norton starred as a dark, stoic magician in the stunning yet slow-moving film, The Illusionist. Now, just a couple of months later, another magic movie arrives in theaters (though that seems to be the norm lately—football movies, animated movies, movies about Truman Capote…they all come in pairs). But while The Illusionist lost me halfway through with its sagging plot, The Prestige didn’t lose me for a minute. It’s a long film, and it’s not exactly fast-paced, but it’s spell-binding nonetheless. It’s every bit as visually stunning as its predecessor—yet with a better story and a better cast, every member of which brings a strong (and often surprising) performance.
With the very first line of the movie, Nolan taunts his audience. “Are you watching closely?” he asks, urging you to pay close attention, to try to keep up. And, believe me, you will.
This is one magic show you just can’t miss.
DVD Review:
The Prestige is even more fun the second time around—because you already know all the secrets, and you can pick up on all the clues along the way. In fact, it gets better with every viewing—because you catch something new every time.
The DVD, however, isn’t exactly jam-packed with extras. There’s an art gallery—a few behind-the-scene shots, a few stills from the movie, a few shots of posters and costumes. They’re interesting to click through, but unless you’re particularly fascinated by cinematography, costume design, or set design, you’ll probably click through a few and move on. There’s also a collection of “Director’s Notebook” features that discuss the writing, creating, and shooting of the movie. It’s not a long, drawn-out documentary, so it’s worth checking out—especially for the moments with director Christopher Nolan and author Christopher Priest. But while it’ll give you a new appreciation for the film—and the filmmakers—it’s not a must-see. Really, though, the extras aren’t even necessary. Pick up a copy not because of the extra features but because The Prestige is a movie that you’ll want to watch over and over again.
