A very well told story despite the lack of shine in the final reveal (spoilers)

Rating: Null/10 (12 July 2007)

Magician Alfred Borden is on trial for the murder of fellow magician Robert Angier, allegedly by positioning a lockable tank of water below a trap door that Angier fell as part of a trick. With the prosecution pushing for the death sentence, Cutter, experienced mentor to both men, relates the history between the two men. Starting as friends working as plants to support an established magician, their friendship turns into professional rivalry at first but a tragic accident sees the two enter a personal battle.
Like everyone else, I want to be liked. I want people to think good of me and perhaps respect me; I don't think it is an unnatural thing and, no matter what they say, most people feel the same. However I have never pandered in my opinion to the majority voice and the IMDb's ridiculous "was this comment useful" voting system will not deter me from questioning why this film is so highly thought of. On one level I can see why because it is a masterful piece of story-telling that weaves flashbacks within flashbacks as easily as moving between concurrent scenes set in the present (whenever that is in regards the narrative). In doing this it doesn't produce confusion as to when we are but rather makes the story much stronger and deeper. Nor did I have a problem with the sci-fi ideas being put into Victoria times; no, although the "cloning" machine is a jump, it is only a jump because my head is stuck in the period and not accepting such an idea as I would in another film.
No, the problem I had with it was the build up to an ending that I had to spend a lot of time thinking about. I didn't think so much because I didn't get it  I thought about it because I didn't think it would be so straightforward (in sci-fi terms of course) and predictable. The boards are full of debate over whether the machine works or not, but I think that the reason for this is that many are keen to find a twist and trick that isn't really there. This was a letdown for me and the delivery of the final scenes suggested that I should be taking it as a twist or surprise, but really it isn't. To me this stops it being as good as everyone else seems to think it is, but I still can see the strengths that kept it interesting for two hours.
As said the story-telling is very strong, even if the conclusion isn't all I would have liked. Visual themes (clues?) are run throughout the film in a way that isn't clear until after the plot becomes clear. Ahead of this stuff though, is an engaging story in regards the characters, which was what drove the majority of the film for me. The flashback structure compliments the narrative well and produces characters sucked under by envy, hate, bitterness. With this to work with both Jackman and Bale give strong performances that really drew the script out and made this aspect so interesting to me. Caine is a class-act as he often can be but some of the other casting is questionable. Serkis I have no problem with in a minor role, but Bowie is always a risky prospect (see Fire Walk With Me for proof  or rather lack of proof since he was cut down to a minimum to the detriment of the film). Here he isn't terrible but he certainly isn't any good. Johansson I'm not sure about as an actress. She is pretty as a young woman but her acting isn't always up to scratch and here she is pretty average at best.
Overall then, not as brilliant as everyone would have you believe because the conclusion is nowhere near as strong (or surprising) as the delivery and build-up within the film would suggest (far less the gushing praise and theorising herein). The manner of telling is masterful though and works so well that perhaps it accounts for my problems late in the game. The lead pair respond well to this, both turning in very strong performances. A very good film then, just not as wonderful and flawless as the praise on this site would have you believe.