nice looking but hollow

Rating: 6/10 (10 October 2006)

The Illusionist is a good looking film set in Vienna in the nineteenth century. There's plenty of romanticism, empiricism, and mysticism to ponder over as you try to keep awake with the plot about a magician, no an illusionist, who's trapped by his class, born the son of a carpenter, and can't have the woman he really loves, a duchess, who's equally trapped in her royal status. Not to sell the film short, the story includes a career police officer who's pushed and pulled by a cruel crown prince who promises to make him mayor of Vienna in exchange for his complicity. Their relationship is the film's most interestingly done facet, especially as the police officer noses around into a murder that brings him closer to Mr. Crown Prince. The film's best scene is when the Crown Prince is hunting on his estate and fires off his shotgun, bringing to an abrupt end the talk he was having with the police officer. In the end, it's a meticulous recreation of a time, which isn't nearly matched by a meticulous presentation of a story.