A dark tale about the obsession of being a true magician and the sacrifices necessary

Rating: 10/10 (31 January 2007)

As has already been mentioned enough, the cast and acting are first rate, so I'll shift my focus on the meta level of this terrific plot. But forgive me as I have to mention that seeing David Bowie as Tesla was just brilliant! Well I saw the movie the second time tonight and it just hit me, how perfect all the edges and twists come out in the end and perfectly make sense. It is simply brilliant, how the two opponents are not just simply opponents, but as the story unfolds not only do they become the total oppositions of each other, but also turn out to be the almost complete antipode to the characters they started of with, themselves. One had everything and was already complete, but has indefinitely lost it. So now he has to become more to do the trick and be able to live on. The other is the cause for his loss over and over again and also seems to be getting what he has lost. But has to suffer from having to live as an entity of two men, all the time, only to finally become one in the end. After he himself has almost lost everything. The showing and telling of the simple bird-trick at the beginning and ending of the movie exemplifies this. And we see and hear it in a completely different way then, than we did in the beginning. Because now we simply know. One has to make huge sacrifices, the sacrifice of life, either way! If the world sees/knows or not. It shows on many levels, how obsessions can make us lose everything we have and ever wanted, even if or especially if we can have it all and take it for granted. Over revenge, rivalry and simply over being the greatest magician, ... In the end what does it offer us, staying true to ourselves, our love for our family and friends and as in every relation, the herein literally vital need to communicate everything.