Nolan's real follow-up to Memento

Rating: 9/10 (10 April 2007)

After his brilliant breakout film Memento, director Chris Nolan went on to create the forgettable Insomnia and the overrated Batman Begins. The third outing to come (The Prestige), however, is his real follow-up to Memento, in my own honest little opinion, both in quality as well as in depth.
This moody and complex film is a real treat for cinephiles wherever they are. Describing a fatal rivalry between Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), two competing magicians in 19th century London, it capitalizes largely on the length some people will go just to get even with their professional opponents. While the magic displayed on screen is what catches your eye at first, it is the swirl of emotions our two lead characters go through that makes this a true delight. Spanning over numerous years, we see Angier and Borden going from great career and personal heights to the lowest bottoms in their pursuit of the one true magic trick that'll make people remember them for years to come.
To top this all up, the movie itself acts as the ultimate magic trick, with its various acts working as the required steps that allow us to fully enjoy and realize the final twist for all its brilliance and originality.