The Pledge, The Turn, The Prestige: We see what we want to see

Rating: 8/10 (21 February 2007)

Jonathan and Christopher Nolan have collaborated on previous projects (namely the brilliant MEMENTO) and here take on Christopher Priest's dazzling novel THE PRESTIGE. Where MEMENTO kept the audience tense and on the edge of the seat and of quizzical mind, THE PRESTIGE attempts to use the same techniques but ends up being an overly long, at times ponderous, and ultimately rather bland examination of illusion and magic and the need audiences have to believe in what they see as an exit route from the mundane lives they lead.
The time is turn of the century England (with a foray into the United States) when Magic Shows were a popular form of entertainment (as they still are in Las Vegas). Two friends - Borden (Christian Bale) and Angier (Hugh Jackman) - are both fascinated with illusion and are frequent audience volunteers for magician tricks. The boys become magicians themselves with Borden becoming the superior illusionist and Angier the superior showman. Their rivalry is healthy until an unfortunate illusion/trick fails at the hands of Borden and the loss of the beloved assistant of Angier. From this point the two friends become archenemies, each sworn to discover the secrets of the other, a journey which eventually leads to murder and the ultimate illusion of life over death.
There are so many subplots that they defy summation. Suffice it to say that inventors (electricity scientist Nikola Telsa - David Bowie), magic machine creators (Cutter - Michael Caine), wives (Julia Angier - Piper Perabo and Sarah Borden - Rebecca Hall), lovers (Olivia - Scarlett Johansson) all weave in and out of the plot, at times illuminating the ideas and at times confusing them. The ending is predictable: it is the only way to explain the Transported Man secret trick. Still, in all, THE PRESTIGE is an entertaining if uninvolving film and while the characters may not make us care very much for them, they are well executed by a strong and literate cast. The production values are what really make the film work. Worth an evening's viewing - a long evening... Grady Harp