Prestige, The Review

"Prestige, The" reviews

Movie

Prestige, The

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2007-04-02 21:27:36

Rating

2.5/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

For all its twists, turns and mind manipulation--much like the very tenets of magic--The Prestige is the one thing such a movie should never be: neither awful nor great--just decent.

Story

''...Every great magic trick has a third act, the most difficult act: the prestige.'' That quote, taken from Cutter's (Michael Caine) oft-referenced opening voiceover, doesn't quite sum up the movie, but it certainly alludes to its magic and trickery to come. What ultimately brings us to The Prestige's prestige, so to speak, is a rivalry-turned-obsession between two magicians. Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) were once friends as apprentice magicians in the late 1800s, but that all ended when a risky move on Alfred's part led to the death of Robert's then wife (Piper Perabo). They have since gone their separate ways, but they're never far from each other's minds. Following Alfred's mind-bending ''Transported Man'' act, Robert's desire of one-upping his archrival turns into an obsession. Robert sends his assistant/lover (Scarlett Johansson) over to Alfred's camp to expose his secret, while he himself travels to meet inventor Nikola Tesla (David Bowie), whom he commissions to build the same machine that, he believes, is being used by Borden in his act. Tesla's machine, however, is no mere magician's prop!

Acting

It's too bad The Prestige doesn't seem as concerned with the lead actors as it does with their big names, because Jackman and Bale are both extremely talented. Of course, they each give flawless performances, but perhaps our minds would've exploded if the acting were to be as asserted as the twisted story line(s). Of the two, Bale fares better with a more layered performance, but there is often intriguing chemistry between both. Caine, reappearing alongside his Batman Begins costar Bale (and director Christopher Nolan), is obviously game for a movie about magic in 19th century London, and--surprise, surprise--acts accordingly. In a supporting role, Johansson, perpetuating her own magic trick of only appearing to be cinematically ubiquitous, finally nails that foreign accent she's been honing for a while now. Bowie, however, puts all to shame with a mysteriously tame and eccentric performance as real-life inventor Tesla. Plus, it takes a while to realize that this is, in fact, Ziggy Stardust and not Sam Neill--whom he resembles here. Andy Serkis (Gollum in LotR, King Kong in King Kong) as Tesla's assistant is equally hard to point out because he's, well, in the flesh.

Direction

Show me a director better suited for a movie about magic than Christopher Nolan and I'll show you...a magician? Nolan, whose trademark throughout his short but esteemed career (which includes Memento, Insomnia and Batman Begins) has been his directorial sleight of hand, seems to take great pleasure in The Prestige's constant illusions. Maybe too much, however, and it caused him to skimp in some other areas. He and his brother--and frequent collaborator--Jonathan wrote the script (adapted from Christopher Priest's novel) and filled it with sly deception, idyllic settings and apropos, if not always engrossing, dialogue, but they neglected the movie's backbone a little too much. Thus lost in the translation are the characters and subtleties that often make movies entities worth caring about--at least for their duration. So much seems to hide behind the safety net of story and continuity twists that almost implicit is a notion of, "Everyone will be too dazed after the ending to even remember the minutiae we left out." Technically, the movie's a stunner, with the cinematography and sound both amazingly vivid and lush.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 2 1/2 stars.

Movie

The Prestige

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-11-09 00:00:00

Provider

MyMovies

Review

Usually when we enter the cinema, we're prepared to let the magic of the silver screen wash over us. Well director Christopher Nolan's ("Batman Begins") new thriller doubles the magic as two feuding magicians fight for supremacy. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, two young illusionists who are starting to make waves in turn-of-the-century London. But when tragedy strikes, the pair fall out spectacularly and so begins a year's long battle for professional supremacy. But while both have their ups and downs, little do they suspect how far they are prepared to go.

Right from the off we're told about the three acts a magician uses when performing the perfect trick - the 'Pledge' shows the audience something supposedly ordinary, the 'Turn' makes it do something extra ordinary while the 'Prestige' shows us something we've never seen before. And that's how Nolan has structured his film as Angier and Borden try to get the upper hand on each other before the shocking twists and turns of the finale. As such audiences may benefit from watching "The Prestige" a couple of times before they can appreciate all its subtleties and Nolan's misdirection as it descends into a very dark examination of obsession.

Jackman and Bale work well together - Angier is more of a showman so Jackman's stage experience stands him in good steed while Borden's dedication to pure magic is more introverted and intense. Both though are ably supported by the likes of Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis and David Bowie.

Very dark and lavishly put together, "The Prestige" proves that even when Christopher Nolan's making 'blockbusters', he's still wants to make his audience think.

Movie

The Prestige

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-11-03 16:00:30

Provider

Review

Jean Luc Godard famously remarked that all films should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order.

The Prestige starts at the end, with Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) on trial for the murder of Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), before returning to the start of their relationship, as twin audience plants for a British magician. When the trick they're both involved in goes badly wrong, Angier becomes obsessed with Borden, who he blames, and sets out to destroy him. Both become successful illusionists but Angier can't shake his resentment with Borden, and though he is the better showman, he becomes fixed on finding the secrets to his act, particularly one called The Transformed Man, in which Borden passes through a door on one side of the stage and reappears through another door on the opposite side.

Angier dispatches his assistant and lover, Scarlett Johansson, to uncover Borden's secrets, before travelling to Colorado, where he enlists Nikola Tesla (David Bowie, enjoying his best film role since God knows when) to build him a machine that will leave his nemesis in the dust. As the rivalry intensifies, some of the special effects spill over into silliness, and The Prestige suffers from a trick ending that is almost painful in its implausibility.

But Christoperh Nolan (Batman Begins, Memento) handles the direction with his customary skill, Bale, in particular, is strong, adding to the impression that he is an actor destined for great things. Johannson's role isn't as meaty as her legion of admirers would like (though her English accent ain't bad).

The Prestige might be a trick or two short of truly special bit it is a thoroughly enjoyable magic flick.