A gorgeous looking film with magnificent performances from Norton and Giamatti

Rating: 8/10 (5 September 2006)

I had only heard of it as being a film from Sundance, but after some positive word of mouth got around, The Illusionist started making its way around theatres. It found its way to a theatre near me, and having seen everything else that was actually worth seeing, I gave it a shot. While it is not perfect at all, I still was fairly impressed by it.
Set in Vienna circa 1900s, Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) has arrested Eisenheim (Edward Norton), a local magician who practically rakes in the cash from everyone in Vienna coming out to see him. As it turns out, Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) is not to impressed with him for a number of reasons, not withstanding his love for Leopold's fiancée Sophie (Jessica Biel). After the arrest, Uhl spends the rest of the film telling Leopold the story of Eisenheim and how he managed to find himself in the predicament the film starts him out in.
The description may sound interesting, but the way the film plays out is not. Nothing exciting or particularly thrilling really happens at all within the storyline, and unfortunately, once it starts getting going, it becomes a little bit too predictable. Do not fret though, besides ending on a note similar to a critically acclaimed 1990's film, the film still holds a few surprises for the viewer. I understand that it was adapted from a short story and made a whole lot longer, but the film could have really used a whole lot of extra padding. It is not that the film is boring, it just does not really make itself out to be an attention grabber.
Of course, this is all that can be found "wrong" with the film, as everything else is excellent.
The film itself looks like a piece of art. The art direction and cinematography really allow this film to believably recreate the early 1900s, and it looks gorgeous. You can almost see the fine brush strokes. It really plays off on the atmosphere of the film at the time, and deviates accordingly. When the film is happy for its short time, the colours are warm and bright. When the film gets dark and moody, the colours become drab and shadow-like. Scenes in the darkened theatres are of particular interest, as are some of the outdoors scenes. The childhood flashback scenes, with the watered down colours and scratchy picture quality really impressed me, and really stood out in the film. Continually doing transitions with the circle wipes either closing or opening up the image got annoying very fast though. The score and special effects used to showcase Eisenheim's illusions are also quite majestic and well done as well.
The acting, even with the iffy accents and bizarre facial hair, is very well done from the three chief male players.
Norton continues with being a great performer, and while it is not as strong as his work in the likes of American History X, Fight Club or The 25th Hour (which I have yet to watch in its entirety), it is still very strong. There are a few moments within the film where he is just gazing right into the camera, and doing nothing else. While some actors may completely ruin scenes like these, Norton relishes in it. His expression, his body language and demeanor, everything about him is perfect. All you can think about is how strong of an enigmatic presence he has on screen, and how his performing skills have yet to wither.
While his choice of work is not always great, Sewell plays his role of the conniving Leopold quite well. Not as strong as Norton, but much better than Biel, who ends up not only being useless eye candy, but useless altogether. She has little to no chemistry with anyone on the screen (least of all Norton), and just feels like a totally wasted character (even though she is so important to the story). A better choice of actress could have only helped this performance actually be worth anything in the grand scheme of things.
But of course, I must contend that the standout performance is from Giamatti. The recent Oscar nominee practically chews a hole right through the scenery and the screen as Uhl. We are never too sure whose side he is playing on, and Giamatti has just enough charisma and energy to pull this supporting role off magnificently. He steals every scene away from everyone on screen (including Norton), to the point that his smoldering presence on screen is enough for the price of admission alone. This role yet again proves why he is one of the hardest working and best character actors in the business, and shows that he is not a one-trick pony at all.
In the end, the film is worth it for the great way the film looks and the excellent performances from Norton and Giamatti. Go to see those things, and you will not come away disappointed.
8/10.