"Everything you've seen here is an illusion."

Rating: 9/10 (15 January 2017)

This highly suspenseful film is full of ghosts, magic, and murder. It is great entertainment as you the viewer try to figure out whether the film is about magic and illusion or revenge and murder. The story takes place in the last 1800's in Vienna during the reign of the Hapsburgs. In fact, Crown Prince Rudolf is a primary player in the story. Rufus Sewell, who has played every European king in one film or another, does a super job of play Rudolf. But the primary story is about a young village boy who becomes fascinated with magic and a young aristocratic girl. Ed Norton plays the adult magician, Eisenheim, now grown up and returning to seek the girl he has never forgotten. His magical skills have increased exponentially and they are the tool by which he makes his living, and by which he courts his long lost love, and by which the film's mysteries are finally resolved.
The characters are masterfully portrayed by the cast and help carry the viewer along as they experience the situations generated by the fascinating story of an individual who rises to the top of his profession as an illusionist but is in love with that unobtainable women who is the object of all he desires. This movie is powerful and effective and carries the viewer along on a ride that offers fantasy mystery with adventure and romance thrown in as extras. The settings and ambiance leave little to be desired and establish an aura of romantic intrigue that compliments the outstanding acting on the part of the entire cast. The background music and surround sound never overpower the dialogue and the overall balance produces a highly effective movie that leaves the viewer wanting more.
Overall rating: 9 out of 10.