Love Story wrapped around a mysterious plot!

Rating: 9/10 (18 August 2014)

Director: Neil Burger, Genre: Drama, Mystery
The story is loosely based on Steven Millhauser's short story, Eisenheim the Illusionist. Director Neil Burger has ensured great visual consistency, with the story weaving fluidly through various locations, he has treated each locale as a vital part of the story. The movie is a love-story about a young carpenter boy who is in love with a duchess, but they are separated due to society constraints. He comes back as a reputed magician. Alongside, the duchess is about to marry a prince who has decided to overthrow the emperor. Rest of the movie is about the boy's clever plans to get rid of the Prince. Neil tries to bring in the romance, suspense, love, hate, jealousy, arrogance and ego in divulging the nuances of various characters. In spite of the movie having different threads all flowing simultaneously, Neil manages to tie them all together very well and never lets anyone get too far ahead of the other. The actors too have done a marvelous job. Ed Norton (the boy) is mesmerizing, Jess Biel (the duchess) is stunningly beautiful and Paul Giamatti (a police officer) playing an admirable role takes the viewer by surprise in many elements of the story. Even though illusions were not clearly explained in the end, the grand finale where "all is revealed" remains a satisfying conclusion for the patient viewer fulfilling the lofty promises of the themes presented throughout the work. As a whole, the movie was a nice experience. It clearly portrays how the ambition can take its toll on even an intelligent man while love can make people do anything even if it is murder in a sort.