The Prestige
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Movie Reviews of The Prestige
Movie Review: A story about magic tricks that unfolds as if it were one itself
Summary: 5 Stars
At the beginning of the movie we learn that magicians view their tricks as three act plays, The Pledge, The Turn, and The Prestige. This movie is also presented in this way. We learn about two young apprentice magicians who are friends. Both live in poor circumstances, but they have very different characters. Christian Bale plays Alfred Bordon, who is the more talented of the two, but is hurt as a magician because of his misanthropic personality. He is less charismatic and less able to connect with the audience than the more flamboyant Robert Angier played by Hugh Jackman.
The story is not told lienearly and doesn't explain much about when we are jumping forward and backwards. It more or less unfolds in its own way and you pick up bits and pieces and try to add them to what you have been told. The point being is that you are never sure if you have stuck this new bit of info in the right place or are even seeing it the right way.
Something goes horribly wrong during one dangerous trick and this sets off a more than bitter rivalry between the two men. Of course, as things escalate between the two there are bystanders taken into the vortex of their attempts at mutual professional (and physical) destruction.
David Bowie does a very interesting turn as Nikola Tesla, who really did live in Colorado Springs at the time the movie is set, and did have a huge magnifying transmitter in his laboratory that is also shown in the movie. A powerful visual image. How he becomes involved in the lives of the protagonists, I will leave to the movie to explain to you.
Even if you think you have figured out the main punch line of the movie, the actual Prestige of the final act is not likely be what you think it is. In fact, it has multiple layers.
Enjoy it. Fine performances are given throughout, especially by the women drawn into their lives to their eventual sorrow. They are Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall, and Scarlett Johansson. And of course, Michael Caine is the anchor of the whole thing and plays his role with perfection.
I recommend it very much.
Movie Review: The most under-rated movie of 2006
Summary: 5 Stars
There were many surprises at this year's Academy Awards. One of the biggest was the absence of nominations for several films, most noticeably this one. Containing no sex, no nudity, no bad language, no gore, no grand action scenes, minimal comedy, a non-descript sountrack, and only several seconds of violence, this movie has none of the hallmarks of a top movie. But a top movie it is; it sat atop the box office charts for a month and everyone who has seen it comes away impressed. This is one of those movies that stands out for its inventiveness, its innovative mode of storytelling, its twists and turns at many points of the plot, and ability to make the viewer empathize with all the main characters. Great movies have themes, and this movie has multiple. First is obsession, not necessarily of revenge, but also of winning, of being the best, and of having what others have and more. Second is rivalry. Many movies have tried to show how a friendship evolves into a deadly rivalry. Examples include Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Gods and Generals and Cleopatra. None of these does the job as good as this movie. Neither character, Alfred or Angiers, is good, and neither are bad. Both are professionals trying to reach the top of their professions, and if this means backstabbing each other, so be it. Third is sacrifice; everyone sacrifices more than necessary to achieve their ends, and the result all around is lost loves and lost lives.
The most impressive aspect of this movie is its mode of storytelling. In the early 1990's, Pulp Fiction came out and introduced the circular method of showing a movie. Then came the Sixth Sense in the late 1990's and the method of a flashback at the end that redefined the entire movie from the get-go. Then there are the Star Wars movies; sequels first then the prequels later. Now we have the Prestige; three different storylines spliced together to create a play on time.
The movie was great, and the DVD was good. No extra or deleted scenes, just the interviews, explanations of special effects, and poster art. Overall, a great watching experience
Movie Review: Now You See It, Now You ... See It Again
Summary: 5 Stars
There have been many movies devoted to the misdirection, sleight of hand crowd. Magic is a favorite theme of writers, actors, and film makers for the obvious reason that this craft so closely parallels their own, the spinning of illusion to make audiences forget for a moment what a dull, hard place the world can be by believing, however briefly, in something that is patently false. It is a very participatory act, the engagement of the audience in the implausible construct is essential - indeed; that is where the "magic" resides.
Almost without fail these movies make great sport of showing how performers fool their audiences, and one another; and their directors like to demonstrate that they too are magicians. All this can lead to layer upon layer of falsehood, deception, trickery, and even confusion. The Prestige is no exception. At times one wishes for a scorecard, and the plodding of the plot gets a bit murky in the middle. But there's enough intrigue to hold you for the big finish, and The Prestige keeps you guessing literally until the final seconds.
One look at the cast tells you that somebody spent some serious money to put together a quality film. Michael Caine, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, and Scarlett Johansson lead the way - all are excellent although Bale struggles with his Cockney accent. London in the late 1800's is masterfully recreated, no small trick in its own right. But what fuels this wonderful film is rivalry and hate, a grudge between two former friends and colleagues that just keeps going and going until it is no longer mere antagonism but the very reason for living - for them both. For us, living over a century later, it may be hard to identify with two performers who would stop at nothing to claim the title of, "England's Greatest Magician". Seems like wanting to be Denmark's Greatest Mime. But magic is power, and a century ago, it was possible to hold an entire audience in the palm of your hand, if you had the right Prestige.
Worth watching more than once, just so you can try to figure out how they did it.
Movie Review: Amazing... absolutely amazing...
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read several of the reviews of this film, and I have trouble seeing how anyone can give this masterpiece less than 4 stars. It is really a great piece of work.
Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale both put on top notch performances as obsessed and highly talented magicians. Michael Cane is superb as the magical-engineer. The rest of the cast is perfectly placed, and wonderfully directed.
The story is complex. Perhaps one of the most complex plots I have encountered in a while, and this was refreshing. Far too many overly simplistic, dumbed-down plots have been prevalent in cinema for quite some time. Seeing a good story that requires that you pay close attention to make sure you do not miss some subtle element made this film even more engaging that it already is.
The only flaw, if it can be called that, is in the characterizations. Niether of the protagonist magicians is really all that likable. Jackman's character is a showman, and an egotist' Bale's character is a compulsive liar and a man seemingly only at peace when others are not. Still, at various points in the story you see a softer side of each character (but never at the same time). This means that you find yourself hoping for victory in one character, then the next -- thus, I doubt this is a true flaw more than it is a cinematic device.
The very end pay-off (or reveal, depending on your perspective) is the only reveal in the film that is telegraphed. The *fact* of this plot twist is known far too soon, and far too 'matter-of-factly' to be a true shocker. But that point asside, all of the other smaller reveals that are taking place at the same time are enough to keep you at the edge of your seat though it all.
The DVD claims you will want to watch it again immediately after you see it. It is correct. I did... and do... want to see it again. I will watch it a few more times, I am sure, before I move on to another film.
Movie Review: Abracadabra!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Prestige is the "other" film about magicians, which came out right around the time of The Illusionist. Although on the surface the two films seem to be set in similar time periods about similar subjects, they couldn't be more different.
The Prestige is about two magicians and their obsessive quest to one-up each other. Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) is a polished American magician who performs with his wife, fellow British magician Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and gizmo inventor Cutter (Michael Caine). When Angier's wife drowns during a trick, he blames Borden for the deed. Borden's unsatisfying response to which knot he tied is, "I don't know."
That burning question ("How could he not know?") consumes Angier and sets the tone for the movie. But this is esteemed director Christopher Nolan we're talking about, so nothing is that simple. The movie has multiple layers. It's broken into three parts (the Pledge, the Turn, and the Prestige). But it's also a duel between the two magicians, consuming everything from their friends (Cutter) to their wives to their mistresses (Olivia Wenscombe, played by Scarlett Johansson) to their very children, retold through each of their respective diaries. It's also a battle of magic vs. technology, illusion vs. reality, showmanship vs. stagecraft. Nolan poses the question: When does a single-minded quest for perfection become ruthless enough to commit murder?
The twists and turns in the film aren't too hard to follow; astute viewers will pick up on the secrets behind both magicians' acts. What's really terrifying is the little sins that magicians commit in performing their illusions. What happens to all cute those bunnies and pigeons that disappear? You don't want to know.
If The Prestige has a flaw, it's that the movie takes so long to reveal the entirety of its performance and deception. Still, the gut-punch ending is worth the wait.