Great story. Well made.

Rating: 8/10 (9 December 2006)

"Every great magic trick consists of three acts. The first act is called The Pledge; The magician shows you something ordinary, but of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called The Turn; The magician makes his ordinary some thing do something extraordinary. Now if you're looking for the secret... you won't find it, that's why there's a third act called, The Prestige; this is the part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before." The above quote is from perhaps the year's best trailer, and also appears early in "The Prestige", which features one of the year's best casts and crew. The quote parallels the movie quite well, explaining what works, what doesn't, and why.
Directed by home run hitter Christopher Nolan ("Batman Begins", "Memento"), "The Prestige" stars a couple erstwhile superheroes (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) woven into a turn of last century tale about two rival magicians intent on one-upping each other. Simple enough, that's The Pledge.
The Turn, which takes up the majority of the running time, is where Nolan and company work their movie magic. The story is told largely through various flashbacks before going linear in last act. A little work is required to follow the multi-pronged timeline, but if one lets the pieces float for a bit, they will come together over the course of the film. The patience to wait for that confluence shouldn't be a problem, because all involved sell the period piece wholeheartedly. Capes, canes, and top hats often induce boredom, but although the costumes are period, "Prestige" doesn't have the antiquated feel that many such films possess. Instead it radiates energy, feeling similar to a Broadway play thanks in part to the star wattage of Jackman and Bale, who both slip comfortably from rubber suits to three-piece suits. Their previous and future movie roles actually inject a little humor into the proceedings as one envisions Logan or Bruce Wayne donning such outfits and dealing with the various circumstances. Interestingly, Batman would likely be comfortable in this world, even though Prestige is set a century ago, because cinematographer Wally Pfister crafts a intriguing, borderline-Gothic world calls to mind his dark work in "Batman Begins", a movie that appears very different, but also shares themes like mystery and illusion.
As one would expect from a magic-themed movie and as The Prestige implies, there are a number of twists and turns, several of which are unveiled in the third act. Figuring these things out in advance may hamper or at least alter your enjoyment of the film, particularly if you are expecting to be surprised. In one sense a line from the movie is true: when the secret is known, the trick seems ordinary, and that extra layer of quality is stripped away. But such knowledge in no way ruins the showmanship of the trick, or in this case the remarkably high production value of the film, which pushes the a good story to a higher level.
Bottom Line: A well-made film with an original story that entertains to the end. 8 of 10.