The Prestige

Every so often you watch a movie and you just know you are watching something special and this is one of those movies. I try not to build movies up because I don't want people to be disappointed when they see them, but seriously 3 days after I saw this movie I can't stop thinking about just how spectacular this movie is in every way imaginable. Christopher Nolan has given the world yet another masterpiece. In the process he proves that his ability to weave the past and present were not a fluke in Memento because here he is flawless as he tells the story forward and backward and seemingly upside down at times, never losing focus and never slipping any lower then pure genius.


Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman star as magicians who start as colleagues, then become entangled in a battle of one up manship, doing everything they can to discredit the other magician that eventually turns into a brutal obsession that spins both their lives out of control. The movie is also a classic tale about the differences between talent and showmanship. Bale is the more talented magician but Jackman has the stage presence and charisma, so when he performs the same trick as Bale, with lesser talent, it looks better, therefore people like it better. Michael Caine puts in a tremendous supporting role as the mentor of Jackman and also tries to act a moral centerpiece trying to pull the reigns in on Jackman's out of control obsession. No matter what movie I see him in, Jackman is always Wolverine to me. Well, at least he was until this performance. He owns his character and perfectly portrays the parallels of obsession with drug addiction to a hilt. Bale, always brilliant is even more amazing here as a cocky, yet grounded man, torn between his love for his family and his love of magic. Scarlett Johansen rounds out the cast as the gorgeous bombshell assistant. Her role is vital to the story and she is at her smokey understated best here.


This movie is full of brilliant twists and turns, yet it doesn't rely on them to make the movie good. Nolan creates this masterful vision of the world of magic. He uses minimal CGI, but when he uses it, it is most effective. He builds on the classic fog effect he utilized in Insomnia to create a dark dreary, yet gorgeous version of Colorado. The movie will probably challenge you and your thoughts on a few different issues that I cannot go into until you have seen the movie. The movie is about greed, obsession, sacrifice, family, betrayal and fame. With the exception of the Lord of The Ring movies, I haven't seen a better movie than this in many many years, Yes I mean it!