Illusion In The Service Of Great Story Telling

Rating: 9/10 (2 October 2011)

The art of prestidigitation is an apt metaphor for the contrived artifice of cinema. Christopher Nolan, like the master magicians depicted here, is intent on capturing our attention & imagination with his very skillful cinematic sleight of hand. And then in his bid for recognition as the ultimate showman, he risks his entire production on our natural human inclination to WANT to be deceived. He nudges & prods us into accepting this - our complicity in this deception - and then proceeds to taunt us for it. He smugly shows us the props & tools of his nefarious trade, and still he gains our confidence. As he entrances us with his magical visions we hand over to him our faith - and our cash. That's Hollywood, folks.
This film is essentially a mystery thriller that is doubly confounding because we are continually being reminded that everything we are witnessing may well be an illusion. We are repeatedly put on notice that our perception of the film's reality is to be doubted, and therefor the reliability of the actions & identities can only be highly suspect. Yet we are compelled to persist in our assumptions, our suspicions, as Nolan is quite masterful at charming us deeper into his ploy. Just past the mid point of the film I became aware that I was being set up for an exceptionally confounding deception. And so I doubled my intense analysis & scrutiny of every action, of every character, of every word, intent on detecting a clue to the approaching "twist." I am not embarrassed to say that I did not figure it out. I was damn surprised by the very clever, very ingenious gimmick that is finally revealed. Only because the set up was so wonderfully watchable do I not resent this film's blatant manipulations. Just as you must respect, ultimately, anyone who fairly outsmarts you, I tip my hat to Christopher Nolan. And I am STILL not completely sure of what I witnessed.
Hugh Jackman is a true Hollywood star and plays Robert Angier, an ambitious magician who competes with an old counterpart, Alfred Borden, for the title of finest in the land. Jackman's mere presence illuminates the screen, and he easily handles his character's subtle shifts in mood and tone. Christian Bale as his professional and then personal arch enemy certainly had the more challenging, less attractive role but somehow manages to maintain our sympathy. Michael Cain as Cutter, their one time boss and mentor is, as always, wonderfully natural & convincing. David Bowie, who previously seemed to always be playing a slightly grander version of his already expansive self, is here surprisingly low key and centered. He role was a fun, recurring element. But the women are a little less remarkable in their portrayals, as Scarlet Johansson's reading is often muddled and unfocused. She is, however, absolutely stunning to watch, her voluptuous curves and magical face seemingly created expressly for the big screen. Rebecca Hall as Alfred's put upon but loving wife is quite compelling despite her somewhat underwritten, sometimes clichéd role.
As we are so emphatically informed at the outset of this fanciful con, the real trick, the real Prestige of a magical illusion is in bringing back the disappeared object or person. So, thus warned, I was eagerly anticipating the magical return of a vanished element. What or who should we expect to be returning is the persistent question that this film begs. And just as consistently, it foils and thwarts your every guess. The Prestige is remarkably effective at raising the bar on the challenge of openly conceding to us cinema's deviously dubious nature, while still dazzling us with its superior artistry.