"Are you watching closely?"

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 2007)

A good suspense film is very much like a magician's trick: we have absolutely no idea where this remarkable lead-up is taking us, and the final revelation is so mind-blowing that, after the curtains come down, we find ourselves stumbling from the theatre in a delightful daze of exhilaration and satisfaction. Already, we are arguing with the person who was sitting beside us: how was it all accomplished? One by one, most of the pieces slowly fall into place, but the film/magician still retain a sense of mystery, of wonder, of magic. Christopher Nolan's 'The Prestige' is precisely this sort of film. In the grand scheme of things, it is something of a nonentity, destined to become neither significant nor influential; however, it is such a invigorating thrill-ride that you get the sense that it is the promise of films like this that is the very reason we go to the cinema.
Having already established his reputation as the director of 'Memento' and 'Batman Begins,' Christopher Nolan here cements his place as one of Hollywood's most exciting talents. 'The Prestige,' a riveting tale of magician rivalry, is set in England at the turn of the 20th century (much like its contemporary, Neil Burger's excellent 'The Illusionist') and stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale in top-form. It was adapted from Christopher Priest's successful 1995 novel of the same name, with the screenplay penned by the director and his brother Jonathon Nolan, who, once again, employ the use of their favoured non-linear narrative structure. The title refers to the third of three fictional components of a typical magic trick, as outlined in Priest's story: The Pledge ("The magician shows you something ordinary"), The Turn ("The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary") and, finally, The Prestige ("making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call "The Prestige.").
Christian Bale plays Alfred Borden, an ambitious budding magician who is willing to sacrifice everything to become the greatest of all time. Hugh Jackman is Robert Angier, a born showman, who tragically lost is wife (Piper Perabo) during a failed underwater predicament escape, an accident for which he blames Borden. As the two magicians part ways for separate careers, Angier bitterly despises that Borden has formed a family and found happiness, and their professional and personal rivalry only intensifies when Borden pulls off "the greatest magic trick ever seen," known as The Transported Man. Desperate to upstage his competitor, Angier travels across the world to try and duplicate Borden's trick, his search leading him to the remote American laboratory of physicist Nikola Tesla (David Bowie), whose work with Alternating Current electricity has spawned an invention of staggering capabilities.
Aside from the passionate performances of its two leads, 'The Prestige' is also held together by numerous supporting roles of varying quality. Michael Caine is excellent as Cutter, the aging mentor whose experience and wisdom helps Angier on numerous occasions, though Angier's decision to neglect his old friend's confidence ultimately leads to his own downfall. Scarlett Johansson is competent as Olivia Wenscombe, the stage assistant who becomes the love interest of both rivals at some point during the film. The role was hardly a demanding one, basically requiring the actress to be on screen and to look glamorous; but, all things considered, she does this very well. David Bowie, rather strangely, has a riveting on screen presence as the real-life inventor Nikola Tesla, and Andy Serkis is enjoyable to watch as Tesla's assistant, Alley. Additionally, Rebecca Hall is pretty good as Borden's wife, Sarah, who is driven into depression by her husband's alternating personality and fierce dedication towards his work.
The competition between the two magicians is absolutely thrilling to watch, as each continues to sabotage the other's work, in a grim and futile attempt to gain the upper hand. Obsession is one of the film's dominant themes, with Angier eventually becoming so dangerously infatuated with Borden's magic trick that he loses everything and everyone he cares about. Borden, meanwhile, also loses much that he loves, a sacrifice he is seemingly more-than-willing to make, though he is eventually given the opportunity to redeem himself. Mirroring this bitter antagonism is the rivalry between Tesla and (an unseen) Thomas Edison, with the latter  an advocate of DC electricity  taking numerous drastic steps to destroy the AC electricity experiments of his contemporary. Though largely grounded firmly in reality, 'The Prestige' takes a science-fiction turn in its climax, which may prove something of a cop-out for some, but will delight those who are enthusiastic about the genre.
'The Prestige' is a film with numerous twists to always keep you thinking, and, like a good magic trick, you'll be talking about it for hours after the show is over. Having watched the film a second time, I was pleased to find that the story (which has been described by some to be merely "gimmicky") holds up well on multiple viewing. Another interesting thing to note is that the hints towards the final twist are certainly there in full-view for you to notice the only thing is, you won't notice them. Why? Because, of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled.