The Illusionist

Rating: 8/10 (15 January 2007)

I'm not sure I buy the end result(an illusionary twist which depends on an awful lot of coincidence), but it's a lot of fun getting there. Visually dazzling and well executed drama about an illusionist named Eisenheim(Edward Norton who is quite spellbinding in a very mysterious role)who ruffles the feathers of Crown Prince Leopold(Rufus Sewell at his nasty, slimy best;he's just so menacing in these juicy roles as hot-tempered aristocrats who will not be made fool of in crowds as long as he has power)with a trick(a humdinger of irony;it's an Excaliber trick which really pokes fun at Leopold). Torn away from his beloved Sophie(he a son of a peasant cabinet-maker, she a duchess), Eisenheim once again meets her on stage only to find out she's possibly to marry Leopold. But, that flame burns as bright as ever, and Leopold uses his patsy of a police inspector, Uhl(Paul Giamatti, who is very, very good)to find dirt on Eisenheim to shut his illusion act down. Imagine the fury inside Leopold when he finds out from Uhl that Sophie and Eisenheim may be plotting a getaway. Leopold is not a man to be trifled with, and Sophie is a major factor for him to gain favor with the Hungarians. When Sophie informs Leopold that it is Eisenheim she wants, it appears that he may've stabbed her with his withdrawn sword. Her body is found with a gaping wound which seems to show signs of being stabbed through the neck..gems from a certain sword may prove Leopold's guilt.
This throws Eisenheim's life in a whole new direction as he finds an old theater and begins performing what appear to be resurrections of ghosts which shock and awe audience-goers. Uhl begins to notice a following and Leopold himself even attends a show under guise when Eisenheim shocks everyone in attendance by "resurrecting Sophie's ghost"! Leopold is certainly enraged now and wants Eisenheim stopped at all costs because there are now vocal Vienna folk claiming the Prince as being a murderer(his past murder of another girl he pushed off a balcony doesn't help his case any).
The ending is a doozy(the final illusion on stage and a little twist that occurs once we see Leopold's fate)and really had my jaw dropped to the floor in amazement. The film offers many cool illusions performed on stage by Eisenheim, but it's also Norton's mysterious performer who holds you at a distance wondering just how truly gifted he really is. That mystery he has is vital to the strength of the film I believe. We don't need to see how he does the tricks he accomplishes because just wondering what kind of powers he really has a hold on not just the audience watching him perform..but us as well.