Ed Norton makes your breath disappear!

Rating: 10/10 (8 January 2007)

The photography and even the cinematography of this fine thrilling epic reminded me of the "Age Of Innocence," and I see Dick Pope is familiar with Turn of The Century plots as he also did the film version of "Nicholas Nickleby" back in '02! I see this magickal mirage as a potential Oscar contender even if for Costume and Cinematography but also Paul Giamatti should be given the nod in Best Supporting Actor as the tortured Chief Inspector Uhl - does he do the right thing and become totally corrupt or does he allay his soul and forever seal his humble beginnings? His other ignored work was with Arnold McCullers in Duets, but when he was acknowledged for Sideways? Somebody definitely passed the bong around too many times! Ed Norton was despicable as the villain of The Italian Job, he has fought Robin Williams in "Death To Smoochy," and has worked with Spike Lee in a role nobody expected him to take on but now he reaches up his sleeve and pulls a new trick in his role cards! His character's deft weaving of an ethereal tapestry against the poor typecast Rufus Sewell again as another villain, this time as Austrian Crown Prince Leopold (he also sneered in - Knight's Tale; Bless The Child & The Legend Of Zorro - if Rufus played a hero, his performances have obliterated it from most folks' heads)! Jessica Biel as the duchess who dared to love "beneath" herself, is a far cry from the action gal with the laser-bow in "Blade: Trinity"...
The plot itself was a view on many things - the timelessness of true love; how love sees no class/color/religion; what really is truth? How life and death can be intertwined and made to exchange places if only for a pulse...
Also? The importance of planning and how you never think you can outsmart a magician, it was rather like the British TV series "Hustle" in terms of the deftness of sewing up the threads of the fine plot and movie - time to disappear! http://bajanreporter.blogspot.com