Obsession, jealousy, and deceit define the tense relationship shared between two turn-of-the-century magicians.

Rating: 7/10 (13 November 2010)

Christopher Nolan directed seven films so far, and The Prestige is his worst one. It's not necessarily bad though. The Prestige is typical Nolan filmmaking. There are no notable performances even though the cast consists of some of the most famous actors working today. Only David Bowie and Hugh Jackman make somewhat of an impression. The film is heavy-going and long. Nolan continues to aim for the noir look, but he can't capture it well in his film projects. So the film ends up being too dark and somber for its own good. The ending is meant to be clever, but with Nolan's direction it doesn't feel that way. Still, it's a solid release overall. There's nothing to distinguish it, however. Like all other films by Nolan it's overrated. He is not a great filmmaker. This is a man who's been influenced by Ridley Scott and the Wachowski brothers. He rarely comes up with anything original, and just continues to copy them. I don't recommend watching The Prestige. The magic tricks here are nothing to get excited about. Nolan erroneously aims for realism, but this approach leaves a bad taste in the mouth. This is far from being anywhere near Steven Spielberg's genius.