A real gem; a movie that is thoughtful, creative and brilliant

Rating: 9/10 (27 March 2007)

This must be one of the real finds of 2006 for me personally. Not that my expectations of this movie were a little low but that I just thought that this type of movie could only go so far in terms of plot and direction. With some excellent twists, tremendous acting and engrossing storyline The Prestige came out as quite possibly my choice movie of 2006. Let me start with the acting. Just excellent, with the likes of Jackman and Caine and even David Bowie putting in a great cameo appearance. Christian Bale, once again, proved that he is an excellent talent. I think his range of acting makes him one of the most sought after actors of his generation and he has never disappointed when I have watched his movies.
The story revolves around two competing magicians/illusionists, who after an unfortunate event begin an obsessive game of cat and mouse to see who comes out on top as a premier magician. Both performers do not hold back to sabotage each other's acts as the game gets increasingly more sinister and deadly. The movie, for me anyway, starts off a little slow, but I promise you to persevere. The effort you'll put in to understand each man's motivations, to understand their backgrounds and to lay the foundations for the second half is well worth it. I cannot emphasise this point enough as at one point, I must confess I thought 'just what is the point here?'. But the movie begins to make sense and comes together quite expertly and as the pace lifts you'll be wanting more by the end.