Read all Reviews by Erik McClanahan

The Prestige 

Directed by Christopher Nolan
Written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Rated PG-13: for violence and disturbing images

“Are you watching closely?”
            Alfred Borden’s (Christian Bale) says this line many times throughout the remarkable The Prestige. Take these words seriously. If you do, the film—with its trio of twists and subtle, allegorical nuances and themes—rewards on many levels. It’s the kind of blazing entertainment that, get this, takes itself seriously while not taking the audience for a bunch of dunderheads.

            Christopher Nolan is fast becoming THE director of this generation. With The Prestige, he has made the kind of dark, serious popcorn film that M. Night Shyamalan wishes he could make. Shyamalan has faltered recently in his quest to be the new Spielberg or Hitchcock or what have you. Nolan seems to be getting better with every new film. His films carry an intelligence befitting the man himself. Watching Nolan in an interview gives all the evidence one needs to understand how he has managed to make such great films. He is so damn smart and aware of his audience’s expectations that he will inevitably have a prolific filmmaking career.

Forget that, he already has a prolific career. His debut feature Following is an intriguing look at voyeurism and shows the director’s flair for stories told with a misaligned chronology. Then came the backwards storytelling of Memento. One of the best, and most inventive, films to come along in a long time. It’s the kind of film that will never get old because it requires numerous viewings to grasp everything. Insomnia was a well-done remake that is most notable for Al Pacino’s restrained, elegant performance as a detective in a moral conundrum. Batman Begins showcased Nolan’s ability to take a comic book franchise and reinvent it altogether. It is perhaps the best comic book film ever made.

The Prestige is Nolan’s little film in between his Batman films. After the epic, monster-sized undertaking of Batman Begins it is great to see Nolan go back to something smaller. The Prestige might be remembered later on as the film before his Batman sequel The Dark Knight, which is unfortunate because it’s a truly great movie.

The story revolves around dueling magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden in the 19th century era when magicians were the rock stars of their time. Borden believes that a real magician tries to create something new. To do this, Borden believes a magician must sacrifice for his art and live his craft all the time. Angier is the better showman, but he doesn’t have Borden’s talent. After Angier’s wife is killed in an on stage accident, the two begin a deadly rivalry in which they both try to upstage the other’s magic. I will say little else about the plot because to say more would ruin the fun and mystery of the film.

The title refers to the three acts of a magic trick: the pledge (in which the magician presents something ordinary), the turn (in which the magician makes the ordinary do something extraordinary), and then the prestige (the twist of the trick). Nolan and his brother Jonathan adapted Christopher Priest’s novel into a fabulous script that follows the three-act structure of a magic trick. This is quite clever, and like Memento’s backwards chronology, it sounds like a cheap movie gimmick but instead is used for the benefit of the story (another sign of Nolan’s intelligence as a filmmaker).

The Prestige is full of memorable moments. The performances are spot on, with Bale displaying the best acting chops in the bunch. This is the kind of role coupled with his turn as Batman/Bruce Wayne that will make Bale a star. As with every Nolan film, the cinematography is stylish but beautiful, the music is atmospheric, and the sound and understated special effects are near perfect. The film’s much talked about plot twists may seem predictable, especially if one adheres to the line at the beginning of this review, but I think that is the point here. Nolan wants us to know that illusions are made up of simple explanations. See if you can guess all the twists and turns. If you do, it will not ruin the experience of the film at all.

This film is truly about filmmaking, and what that means to Christopher Nolan. The entire film can be viewed as a metaphor for the director’s desire to reinvent himself with every film, and to try to give the audience something they’ve never seen. This makes The Prestige a truly personal achievement, something rarely seen these days in mainstream cinema entertainments. You can see both of the main characters in Nolan. Part of him wants to be the great showman Angier is, but deep down he is the talented magician Borden, living his art and trying to give us something new to scratch our heads over. The film will unfortunately not get much Oscar recognition, perhaps a dark horse nomination for Bale, an adapted script nom, or most likely a few technical recognitions. Ultimately this film will almost certainly gain a rather strong cult following, and fans of it will watch it over and over again to master all of its secrets. A fantastic achievement indeed.

HDFEST grading scale
-The Prestige-

Story                        A

Acting                        A-

Visuals                        A

Originality            A-

Enjoyability            A

Overall Grade            A