Now You See It, Now You Don't Unless You Pay the Admission Price

Rating: 8/10 (4 September 2006)

Personally speaking, I consider Edward Norton the drollest actor of all time. I'm not saying he can't act, but inspiringly? No way.
Paul Giamatti isn't exactly a firebrand either despite being totally brilliant in "The Cinderella Man." And so, in "The Illusionist" we have two rather boring actors who could have put the entire theater to sleep had it not been for two things--an OUTSTANDING plot and a magnificently manufactured atmosphere of 1900 Vienna. Mix them together, wave a magic wand, up comes a bit of smoke and presto, we have an eight out of ten film.
Highly entertaining albeit a mite draggy in spots but still worth the viewer's time and money. It is 9/4/06 and thus far, the best film I've seen this year.