A real magician tries to invent something new...

Rating: 10/10 (2 April 2007)

...and that is exactly what what Christopher Nolan has done with this wonderful piece of conjured magic. In 2000 he amazed the viewing audience with his wonderful Momento and...trust me...this is equally as good if not better! Christian Bale shows us once more that his Reign of Fire days are well and truly behind him as he puts in a dazzling performance as the moody and slightly arrogant Alfred Borden, who triggers a series of hate fuelled events when his hunger to make tricks seem more dangerous causes the death of his colleague's wife. His former colleague, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), then sets out to destroy not only Borden's career but his whole life along with it. The pair are quickly caught up in a 'punch-for-punch' type battle which, it soon becomes very clear, will not have a happy ending. Also, credit to Michael Caine for his calming performance of Cutter who seeks to help Angier succeed but yet at the same time shows, by contrast to himself, just how enraged both characters of Borden and Angier are becoming in the battle.
What Nolan has done is not only created a visually beautiful movie with his Victorian era setting but also shown us what lengths man can be driven to through competition in a way which can be related even to the present day. However, the end of the movie will not please everyone as it takes a huge jump in the science fiction direction. I however loved where he went, and I think that anyone who has even the slightest glimmer of imagination will too.
A lot of people have compared this to another movie of 2007, The Illusionist. Don't! This is David Copperfield, whereas The Illusionist is Paul Daniels. A must see of 2007!