The Prestige
Posted on 26th October 2006 by antuan goodwinoriginally posted on: brilliant brown on 2006 October 26
Sunday night, after a long hiatus brought on by a lack of entertainment funding, I finally made it back to the movies. I was pretty excited to hear about a film called the Prestige. The plot as described on IMDb is as follows:
From acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan, comes a mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. From the time that they first met as young magicians on the rise, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) were competitors. However, their friendly competition evolves into a bitter rivalry making them fierce enemies-for-life and consequently jeopardizing the lives of everyone around them. Full of twists and turns, THE PRESTIGE is set against the backdrop of turn-of-the-century London, the exceptional cast includes two-time Oscar® winner Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie.
My initial thoughts upon seeing the teaser were pretty wishy washy. I was pretty excited about it, but I was equally excited about the Illusionist, staring Ed Norton, which was another magician movie that came out a month earlier. Considering that I’m a bigger Norton fan than I am of Jackman and Bale combined, I figured that this would be the lesser of the two movies. I had visions of Batman and Wolverine in a magic fight, pretty stupid right? Wrong. The Prestige actually turned out to be far, far better than any of my expectations.
plot
The Prestige is based on a 1995 novel of the same name. I haven’t read it, so I can’t say how accurately the film sticks to the book. What I can say is that it was good to be surprised at the end of a movie for a change. This is a film based on deception. You’re never really sure who is the protagonist, as the story twists more than a few times. All of the distinctions between right and wrong are hazy.
Normally, I can guess what the “twist” is to almost every movie I watch. But when the secret was revealed at the end of the film, I was pleasantly surprised and caught myself smiling as all the pieces of the plot came falling together. One small complaint, once the secret is revealed, the film slows waaay down and I found myself more than a little bored for the last 15 minutes of the film. Maybe I’m just impatient…
Slow ending or not, this film kept me on the edge of my seat for the entire 128 min of it’s running time. I can’t really go into too much detail, as I don’t want to spoil the surprise for those who will take my advice and go see this highly recommended film.
performance
Christian Bale is probably accustomed to playing secretive and mysterious characters, as he’s mostly known for his performance as Batman. (A side note, Michael Caine played Alfred the Butler in the latest Batman.) Hugh Jackman is in similar position, only as the X-Men’s Wolverine. When the 3 marquee players in a film are all known for playing superheroes, it’s kind of hard to not approach the film a little strangely. I had visions of Batman vs. Wolverine in a magic fight, with cards and doves and abracadabra all over the place.
Fortunately, the only trace of super-heroics in this film is the idea of living a double life and having to be deceptive to those you love the most to do your job. Both actors, Bale and Jackman, are completely absorbed into their characters and do a good job of showing that they’re more than just dudes in tights. The characters, Robert and Alfred, are driven and obsessed, intensely secretive. They seem to have a common respect for each other, as should be expected from one’s arch nemesis. Simultaneously, the hatred that brews between these characters is almost palpable.
Michael Caine is one of my favorite actors and his performance is also spot-on, as expected. The guy’s a pro, a seasoned vet; to expect anything less than an top-notch performance from him is a bit of an insult to his craft. His character, Cutter, is paternal (a potential role model and mentor for both of the dueling magicians), but later in the film shows that he can be deceptive and remorseless; and later still, shocked and betrayed.
I was pleasantly surprised to see Andy Serkis, best known for his role as the creature Golem in Lord of the Rings, in a role that didn’t require makeup or special effects. He’s a pretty good character actor and it’s good to see him branching out a bit. He played the assistant to actor David Bowie’s Tesla, a real-life inventor played by and rival to Thomas Edison. Bowie’s performance was a bit stiff and his character’s actions are pretty questionable, but do not detract from the film as his role was pretty small.
conclusion
You’ll notice there’s no special effects heading in this review of what could be considered a Science Fiction film. That’s because, unless you consider make-up, the effects in this film are few and far in between. Even then, they’re so subdued that you probably won’t notice them. This film attempts to capture illusion as a subtle art form. So if you’re expecting the characters to start hurling lightning bolts at each other, look elsewhere. (I hear X-Men is on DVD.)
I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m recommending this movie. It’s an intelligently told story with a well thought out plot that keeps you guessing, but still makes sense in the end. Consider also the top-notch performances by all of the actors involved (except Bowie) and you’ve got yourself a winner. Movies like this are few and far between.
