Entertaining and well crafted - a little formulaic

Rating: 7/10 (4 September 2006)

The acting and production was solid. Sewell, Giamatti, Norton and Biel were all excellent. The plot kept my attention - tossing up red herrings and false mysteries and milking them for all they were worth. I can't tell you to what film(s) this owes a heavy debt to without a big spoiler, but I am sure many of you will figure it out.
Norton and Biel play childhood sweethearts whose romance has been cut apart by class divisions and a planned arranged marriage. Norton runs off on a quest to discover magic and, in his thirties, returns to Vienna where he almost immediately crosses path with Biel, her jealous and homicidal fiancé (Sewell) and the affable but cynical Inspector under Sewell's thumb (Giamatti). Norton's Magic is so astonishing that nobody can discern how he does it, and eventually, it becomes apparent that the real mystery is not the identity of the murderer, but the methods of the illusionist.
The film is clever and manipulative, and does a pretty good job of distracting its audience from the the very question which actually drives the plot. That said, there are problems with believability which don't really detract from the entertainment experience. Recommended!