Very good though not without serious flaws in logic

Rating: 8/10 (22 September 2006)

'The Illusionist' is a wonderfully entertaining piece of film-making that is both beautiful to look at and engaging in its twists and turns. With an inventive script that acts as an illusion itself by defying audience expectation with a series of misdirections, 'The Illusionist' is not your typical Hollywood thriller.
The biggest flaw with 'the Illusionist' resides in its dependency on the audience to suspend its disbelief in the conclusion. The final pieces of the puzzle that Giamatti's character discovers are found in the straw of the Crown Prince's stable. However, the straw of that stable would have been changed several times over the course of time that would have elapsed between when those pieces were lost in the straw and when they were found. Thus, while the climax is effective in presentation, it is dulled somewhat when one questions how it was arrived at.
That being said, the overall value of 'The Illusionist' far exceeds whatever stumbling blocks arise in the narrative. The cinematography gives the film a classic feel that, mixed with the locations and costumes, might remind one of Milos Forman's 'Amadeus'. Neil Burger's directing is as minimalist as the Philip Glass score, which is a welcome change to the deluge of fast edits and quick-cutting that is present in too much of modern film. By allowing scenes to present themselves and giving actors space to breath on camera, Burger does not overwhelm the senses and allows the story to take precedence over the camera angles.
'The Illusionist' is an excellent display of cinematic talent all-around and is a tasteful digestif to this summer movie season.