Excellent movie but for the lead casting

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2007)

One of the few movies of 2006 that is, in my humble opinion, worth watching. Viewers instantly empathize with the young Eisenheim, who loves a girl beyond his social status. My only complaint is with the casting of the 2 leads - both Norton and Biel are not the best choices to play Victorian characters.
Norton's youthful voice fails to convey the melancholy and gravitas one would expect from Eisenheim. After all the teen shows and movies, Biel seems too lightweight to play Sophie's role. Their English accents were beyond laughable.
The rest of the casting is stellar - Giamatti is superb as the inspector, as is Sewell as the crown prince. The background music is excellent and so is the soft lit cinematography. Kudos to a well written screenplay that mostly keeps you engaged.