The Prestige Reviews

six or seven dollars worth of movie

A

Christian Bale and Michael Caine are re-united with director Christopher Nolan in this beautifully crafted period mystery which sees two magicians locked into an escalating vendetta after a trick goes wrong resulting in the death of Hugh Jackman's wife. Nolan proves himself once more to be as masterful at misdirection as the illusionists themselves, producing a wonderful looking and cleverly scripted tale of revenge that's full of twists and turns. His favoured method of disjointed timelines works very well, feeding the audience important plot elements at strategic intervals, keeping you guessing until, well NEARLY the end...when the final twist reveals itself, it does take a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, but hey, this isn't a documentary. The performances are all fine, although Scarlett Johansson doesn't really have too much to do except look pretty, but she manages to muddle through. Another cracker from one of the most consistently good directors working today.

A dazzling piece from the minds of Christopher and Jonathan Nolan. The Prestige is a mysterious piece that really depicts the centralized themes of obsession, secrecy and sacrifice; all in part to a brilliant presentation from its writers and sensational duo of Jackman & Bale. 4/5

Ultimately, like so many of Christopher Nolan's films, 'The Prestige' is ridiculous, far-fetched. The story twists in a way that beggars belief, in a way that's so desperately lacking in plausibility that one asks themselves 'Did I hear that correctly? Has it really just gone in that direction?' Thankfully, this occurs at the end of the film, the preceding two hours produce, generally speaking, a delightfully realistic, taut and human period drama that engrosses far more than I expected. Indeed, the twist is a vital device that makes the film, in the writers' minds at least, 'work', which means the film rather flawed. The climax undermines everything that made the film good, but those two hours soften the blow considerably. All performances are solid, particularly Rebecca Hall's, who has a real, sweet naturalness about her that struck me as soon as she graced the screen. Christian Bale's accent takes at least 40 minutes to get accustomed to, it has an odd, contrived strain to it that normally only appears in interviews. As everyone knows, he's British, but I think his true accent was lost in Hollywood a long time ago, I'm no longer sure what his real accent is, and I don't think he does either. The film becomes increasingly overwrought as it approaches its quite frankly stupid climax, however I think the film's merits overpower this, making it an enjoyable but not great film.

Christopher Nolan scores once again with this fascinating, engaging, tense, and mystifying thriller about a rivalry between two magicians that turns deadly. It's basically just a twisted and dark tale about obsession, rivalry, and revenge set in the world of Houdini era stage magicians, and that's cool.

Given that it's a Nolan film though, and that the subject matter is magic, illusion, and trickery, you can expect this film to not be straight forward or clear cut. I absolutely loved this when I first saw it, giving it 4 1/2 stars. Like Inception, I'm revisiting it, and I'm docking it, since it has lost some of its inital impact and wow factor, but I'm far less impressed with this one compared to the other. In fact, this might actually be one of his weaker films, at least in my opinion. Yeah, most people give that distinction to Insomnia, but that one doesn't really infuriate me like this does, mostly because I had ambiguity and trickery, and twist upon twist for the sake of it. I say that, and I love Inception, but that sort of thing didn't feel focred. Yeah, it was convoluted, but this is more so, and it sticks out here as really being forced due to the magic angle. I really should have expected this, but my original viewing was at a time before I'd really gone through all sorts of changes, and my tastes and views weren't as they are now.

I do dig this film, but the endings are an issue, well, one of them (the Jackman one). Didn't really accept that one so much this time. The other is fine, and I dig it, but it really felt like Nolan was being twisty and screwing around for the sake of it here, and it fell flat. I still like this movie though, as it is pretty well crafted, but it just overdoes things...too much, too often.

A dark, moody mystery thriller from the clever mind of Christopher Nolan dealing with two rival magicians (Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman) at the turn of the 20th century, and how each turns their life upside down to see the other one fail at his act. In addition to being wonderfully photographed and exceptionally well-written, Nolan has taken a light subject and given it layers of darkness and dread that are both original and a welcome surprise to the subject. Nolan has proven himself to be one of the best auteurs of his time again and again, and while this is not his crowning achievement ("The Dark Knight" and "Memento" get bragging rights there), it is certainly an uneasy, haunting entry into his filmography of cold, bleak films drenched in despair and sadness. It could have used a little more of a sense of humor, and the ending is one the audience could see coming if they pay attention carefully, but one thing is for certain - it keeps you guessing with its twists and turns, making it consistently enjoyable and entertaining throughout.

This revenge thriller twists and turns through different points-of-views, time, and setting and manages to keep the audience engaged and shocked throughout. Great performances by both Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. "The Prestige"'ll surprise you, entertain you, and shock you. A great time.

Perfect.

A dazzling piece of work that literally stuns you with magic. Its plot keeps you hanging on until the very end where it goes for the kill in your head. Weirdly enough, this proves that there are in fact forgotten cliches, but it cleverly contributes to the impact of the film. Also, this movie is magnificently acted by both Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. Nolan truly stayed up with his standards and continued to make quality films in all of its aspect.

This is my type of film, full of mystery & twists. With one of the best twist endings i've ever seen, The Prestige adds onto Christopher Nolan's genius and great filmmaking. I haven't read the book, but this film has to be a really great adaptation for it. I don't think i've been as shocked towards an ending since I saw Se7en, i'm surprised this film didn't get more acclaim.

It's 1860. 19th century London and the rest of developing societies have convinced themselves that they are at the height of civil progression and have delved into gratifying forms of entertainment. One of the less attractive forms are magic, magicians forming illusions and mind-benders to test the intellect of theater goers. This is the backdrop to Christopher Nolan's 2006 adaption of Christopher Priest's celebrated novel. The film revolves around two rival magicians, Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale). The two once worked together, finding bigger and more elaborate ways to bend the minds of their theater goers. Angier's wife was there assistant. One performance is the popular escape the locked water chamber- the start the pocket watch and the woman is behind the curtain. The minute's up, they pull the curtain, and the woman is dead. Angier blames Alfred, who later marries and starts a family. He envies his partner's life. He quickly returns to magic acts, and utilizes a simple transport sequence. Everyone, including Angier's new assistant, Olivia, (Scarlett Johannsen) and his manager, Cutter (Michael Caine) say it's an illusion, using a behind the scenes duplicate. But Angier reads between the lines. He knows that Alfred is doing something different-is it true magic? An optical illusion, or the obvious answer, science? Angier spends years searching for the answer, growing corrupt and insane. Alfred isn't faring well, all the while leading his ex-partner on a false trail and dealing with his wife (Rebecca Hall) who is tired of secrets. Angier seeks science and researches the possibility of cloning, which Alfred only tricked him into doing, but finds out it really is real. He suspects, however, that what Alfred may be performing the greatest illusion of all time-or perhaps true magic.

It's made clear from the beginning that this movie isn't about magic tricks. The screenwriter doesn't toy with the supernatural elements but cleverly invests most of the plot in character development. Director Christopher Nolan helmed this film after Batman Begins but right before The Dark Knight, so he had already set a tone for himself as a film maker by the tone at this time. This, to me, feels a lot like a 19th century Inception. What makes this film engaging to watch is seeing the rival magicians trying to outsmart each other. Christopher Nolan brilliantly balances his multiple time periods in this (much like Inception) so that a wary viewer won't get confused but is still in for a surprise in the end when the final card is laid on the table. He manages to juggle multiple subplots as well as mold the character psychology into the execution of the story, which in another's hands would become disjointed. The camerawork is purposefully shaky and the cinematography purposefully dark as to illuminate the story's tone and conflict.

The film is bolstered by powerful performances from its leading cast, who carry a lot of the weight here. It's Jackman in particular who holds the viewers' attention, managing to inject just the right amount of borderline psychosis that his character needs. The little exposition that there is in the story is mostly left up to him, as Bale's perspective is purposefully kept in the dark due to plot demands. He's not only easy to watch but riveting in his role as a man driven to madness by obsession, idiosyncratic in his performance and chilling as an afterthought. This is possibly the most psychologically dark performance he's given, which according to Hollywood is puberty for actors.

Gripping, disturbing, and with just the right amount of narrative complexity, The Prestige proves to be a thrilling and unique period piece that racks up another cinematic success for Christopher Nolan.

A film about jealousy, deceit, and bitter rivalry, The Prestige is an excellent film. A dark and complex story which is put forward brilliantly to the watcher through the diary within a diary style, a unique and genius way of executing the narrative. Each diary acts almost like its own story, and as each gets resovled you see the connections between each one, until the past is completely resolved and in the final act the story focuses on the present. The sets, and costumes are all briantly designed, creating the illusion that this realy is late 19th century london. The acting is at a high standard, and i thought it was a shame that Micheal Caines character didn't have the amount of screen time as everyone else, but Bale pretty much fills the acting gap. Despite being baised before the twentieth century, The Prestige has the same cutting edge and modern and dark atmosphere of other Nolan films. The ending comes with at leat 3 genuine suprises, and despite the darkness, the ending is a happy one. This shuold require repeat viewing to be fully apreciated.

Very good movie. There is no doubt in my mind who is the best director of post 2000 time. A very interesting story (I'm a fan of magic...) And very good acting performances. I say...keep up the good work

The Prestige is a nonlinear mystery thriller from Christopher Nolan with "the pledge," "the turn," and "the prestige" in story, style, and form. The Prestige is a dark and sadistic illusion, a brilliant deception to the unsuspecting audiences. Look closer. It is magic.

I'm guessing that 5 or 10 years from now people are going to revisit this film and wonder what all the fuss was about.

Christopher Nolan's 'The Prestige' is a film not enough people recognize, because its so damn good. Aside from being very well made with great editing (making the time differences and journal readings distinguishable) and cinematography from the always good Wally Pfister, the performances given by every single actor in the film are well done, especially that of Jackman and Bale. Character development is all here too, proving Chris and Jonathan Nolan's excellent skill as writers. Every twist, every turn, every snip of dialogue has profound meaning behind it, and Nolan makes sure each word counts. It is endlessly entertaining, but Nolan adds to the fact that his films are quite like Jackman's character within the film, Rupert Angier. As far as skilled magicians go, Angier is not as extraordinarily talented as Borden (Paul Thomas Anderson or David Fincher, for this analogy). But he knows how to dress it all up, disguise it, and make the audience cheer in approval at the wonder they behold before their eyes. Are you watching closely?

Wow! Genius! Christopher Nolan did it again. One of the smartest flims I have ever seen. This film starts out as a simple rivalry between to two magicians, but through a series of personal and emotional attacks towards each other, it becomes an intense obssession for superiority. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman give strong performaces as the lead roles, truly portraying the transformations that occur in their characters. Also the supporting cast gave great performances as well, Micheal Caine, Scarlet Johansson, Andy Serkis.....but especially Rebecca Hall. She too does a great job of showing the transformation in her character as Mrs. Borden.
This is yet another fantastic film by Christopher Nolan. He has yet to disappoint me, and he has continued to blow my mind. I find it very impressive that his most straighforward movie is Batman Begins. He is just the king of deep, smart, trickly, detailed films. I love his movies for that! I love The Prestige! One of my favorites.

Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale play two aspired and famous magicians. Their names are Robert Agnier and Alfred Borden. During a performance, their latest trick, "The Transported Man", goes terribly wrong. Borden and Agnier are bound to improve the trick with a secret that no other magicians will ever know. However, they begin to sabotage each other's tricks and get involved in a love triangle. With who? The beautiful Scarlett Johansson, thats who! It all happens in Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige", the only film I hope to ever find in my movie watching days that I find better than Nolan's overrated declared masterpiece, "Inception".

What is a prestige? You see, every magic trick has three steps, or acts. The first is the pledge. The magician takes an ordinary object and may ask to inspect it and make sure eerything's okay with it. The second is the turn. The magician alters the object. The last is when the illusion kicks in. That is called the prestige. Pretty cool, eh?

The story is very original and well put together. Almost everything about it (i.e. acting, lighting, writing, directing) accomadated the story very well. Christopher Nolan's writing is sometimes too good for words. The dialogue is BA Nolan dialogue like usual. Its detailed, well put off by the actors, and very memorable.

The acting is superb. Christopher Nolan's #1 rule about being an actor is don't suck! Say the lines well, when you have a flip out moment, do it well, yada yada yada. Jackman and Bale have excellent chemistry together and their performances are superb. Michael Caine always great in a supporting role, Andy Serkis was good, and Scarlett Johansson was very good as well. I think I fancy her. I didn't like Bale's acting in one scene. He gets injured but groans as he was taking a painful dump. We've all had those moments, right?

Nolan's direction is awesome! Its very different from his past films and thats why I fancy it. The funeral scene looks like it was directed by the great Stanley Kubrick with the camerawork and music cues.

The effects almost looked like the magic tricks as well. That means its good!

But what really got me into the movie was the twist! Its so incredible! You would want to pay attention (Not too much!) during the viewing. After the twist, you would want to see it again and catch all the clues. However, that didn't happen to me. If I get this on DVD, I'll see it again.

Great acting and effects and awesome writing, "The Prestige" is near-near-perfect magic. See if you like magic, Nolan films, the actors, and films with awesome twist. Remember the three acts of a magic trick. The film progresses like that and is a wonder to behold! If you have ADD, I don't reccomend it. When you get cured, check it out!

"A pretty assistant is the most effective form of misdirection."