An amazingly well-thought out film lost in imperfect retelling

Rating: 6/10 (14 November 2006)

Two magicians, Angier and Borden, become arch enemies following the accidental death of Angier's wife during a magic trick. The conflict between them escalates as they desperately seek to create the perfect human-transportation trick.
I found it profoundly difficult to follow the plot for a good first half of The Prestige, and for good reason, I believe. Two people, both dressed in black for the most part of the film, both engaged in magic tricks, both with a similar build, composed the soul of the story. Yet, it was hard for me to tell both of them apart, or indeed identify them as the main characters when they appear. In fact, seeing the movie poster again after watching the movie, I realised that the two faces on the poster does seem like the same person. To add to the difficulty of telling the characters apart, both main characters disguised themselves at some parts of the film, and it happens that understanding who is who at these portions is crucial to an understanding of the plot.
In addition, cuts that messed up the chronology could also have been found throughout the film. Some were crucial for an effective and impactful climax and resolution. Others, especially the relentless flashbacks to the prison scene, only serves to show off the director's knowledge of the flashback as a story-telling device, and ultimately leaves the viewer very confused.
After two hours of intricate building-up of the conflict, the story reveals with cunning and wit how certain elements of the plot were even possible. At the same time, it raises germane and thought-provoking issues, challenging the viewer's original perception of certain things in the story.
What makes the concluding revelation all the more keen was how it could have been guessed prior to the revealing itself. Clues, like the duplicated cats and hats, and key elements, like the revolver and the water tank, were already known to the viewer, and all it took was a missing link to conceal the actual dynamics of the plot. This allowed the revelation to be done elegantly and without being a forced reconciliation of the plot.
An amazingly well-thought out film lost in imperfect retelling: that's my feel on The Prestige.