“The Illusionist”
Directed by: Neil Burger. Starring: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, and Rufus Sewell.
Magic is a hot topic nowadays. “Scoop” has Woody Allen as ‘The Great Splendini’ in a romantic comedy/mystery. “The Prestige”, Christopher Nolan’s magician rivalry/thriller opens in October. “The Illusionist”, Neil Burger’s half romantic drama, half thriller, is in theaters now.
Edward Norton stars as Eisenheim, a magician who rose from lower class standing to become a great illusionist. He performs for growing crowds in Austria, and one night, the Crown Prince Leopold (Sewell) and Duchess Sophia (Biel), attend the show. The Prince chivalrously volunteers the Duchess for an illusion that involves her taking the stage with Eisenheim. Eisenheim recognizes her immediately as the girl he loved as a young adult. Soon thereafter they begin an affair that is inappropriate in their class society, and unacceptable to the Crown Prince. As Eisenheims relationship to the Duchess intensifies, so does the investigation into his illusions. He struggles to keep his show alive, and the Duchess away from the violent and scheming Prince. Giamatti is Chief Inspector Uhl, the Crown Prince’s right hand man, who suspects Eisenheim and tries to keep him on a short leash.
“The Illusionist” is a well-written and well-shot film. It’s slick, it’s clever, and well acted. Biel is a surprising choice, but she holds her own against Norton and Giamatti, who are, as always, top notch. Giamatti’s role, in particular is captivating. His character parallels Norton’s, in that they both come from modest means. His battle between finding the truth, and striving to please the Crown Prince is interesting to watch.
There is, however, one small critique I can’t help but mention. I suppose mustache’s were all the rage in this particular time in history, and the facial hair overall, whether real or artificial, is fine. But, Sewell’s ‘stache is, well, I don’t know how to put it exactly…distracting is the best word for it, I guess. It could be real for all I know, but for some reason it made it hard to concentrate on what I’m sure was a great performance.
That petty complaint aside, “The Illusionist”, is a lot of fun and well worth catching in the theater. There’s something truly magical about the illusions, and the way Burger captures them on film.
Story: B+
Acting: B+
Visuals: A-
Originality: B+
Enjoyability: A
Overall: A-
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