THE ILLUSIONIST (Neil Burger, 2006) ***

Rating: 7/10 (17 February 2007)

Having recently been impressed by THE PRESTIGE (2006), I was looking forward to this similarly-themed film but, as often happens with rival productions, one always ends up towering over the other; in this case, it's THE PRESTIGE which emerges the superior film. Still, THE ILLUSIONIST provides plenty of visual interest (both films, interestingly enough, have been nominated for the Best Cinematography Oscar)  not least in the muted color palette and the magic tricks themselves (which, however, were more sparse than I had anticipated and rather too far-fetched into the bargain). However, compared to the dramatic hold and thematic bravado which distinguishes THE PRESTIGE, the stately film feels somewhat conventional: in fact, while I was expecting something on the lines of Ingmar Bergman's THE FACE (1958)  with a government official exposing a magician as a fraud and the latter's deadly retribution  all it ultimately amounted to was another impossible/undying love type of story; the final twist, however, is worth waiting for. Edward Norton gave his usual thorough performance, Jessica Biel was radiant as the romantic interest and Rufus Sewell rather monotonous as the crossed Prince  but it's Paul Giamatti who steals the film as the conflicted Police Inspector.