The Prestige (2006): Robert and Alfred are rival magicians. When Alfred performs the ultimate magic trick, Robert tries desperately to find out the secret to the trick.
What an incredible plot. If you are at all interested in magic (and who wouldn’t want to know how the hell does David Copperfield do it!!) this movie will interest you. Not because you will get answers to all the magic tricks (though some easy tricks are explained), but because you will see what makes a great magician.
The two rival magicians go to great lengths to surpass each other’s tricks, so much that they become obsessed. And this is definitely not a healthy rivalry, it actually causes great pain for both of them and the people they care about.
The structure of the narrative is very complex, there 3 different time lines distinguished by one of the two magicians reading the other’s diary. The 3 time lines weave into each other, so that some changes that we notice in the future are paid off later in the film with a past time line.
I figured out the big reveal about half way through, but it wasn’t difficult to spot. That didn’t lower my enjoyment of the movie, on the contrary, now that I knew the truth, I could understand the various references to it. Also I could see what an incredible performance one of the magicians did. Just powerful stuff.
Both Jackman and Bale give great performances, helped by a great supporting role by Michael Cain. Scarlett Johansson wasn’t given much to do, she just had to be pretty, which she is. Instead I really liked Rebecca Hall. I wonder what was her motivation at the end though. Did she really know? Or did she suspect the wrong thing?
This is one of those movies that makes you think about it for hours after you watch it, and it’s definitely fun to talk about it with someone else. This is also a movie that will benefit from repeat viewings, and will change the viewing experience once you know the truth. That’s exactly my kind of movie!!
However, no matter how good the script is, there is always going to be confusing plot points, for example how Tesla gets into the story, and how the machine was created. Or if Cutter knew about Alfred’s secret all along.
No matter what, I really enjoyed this movie. I am unsure if I should give this a 4 or 5 stars rating. I think it only deserves a 5 stars if repeat viewing is really satisfying.
Rating: 5 Stars