I agree with almost everyone...

Rating: 8/10 (30 April 2007)

it was quite suspenseful and beautifully shot but I figured out the plot twist from the moment the illusionist(played by Edward Norton) enlightened the crown Prince (played by the always delightfully sinister Rufus Sewell) with the "soul lives on" trick. Maybe it's because I had seen The Prestige before this, I don't know but I figured out the ending way ahead of time and that kind of ruined the rest of it all for me. The story within the film is that of a young man with the talent for magic, who falls in love with a beautiful countess(Jessica Biel) and the obstacles they face with their star-crossed love. One of the best performances in the film, comes from Paul Giametti who plays a police inspector whom at the bequest of the crown Prince is hot on the tail of the Illusionist. His job is to try and discredit the young magician and defame him because he is not only a rival to the prince but is also able to command such a strong attention of the country's people (something the crown prince is wary of). When the death of Sophie(Biel) rouses suspicion, a game of cat and mouse ensues in the quest to figure out whether the illusionist can reveal her killer. But be mindful of everything you see during the course of the film, as a key clue to the ending plays out within thirty minutes into the film.