True Cinema Magic

Rating: 10/10 (1 February 2007)

Like great stage magic, THE PRESTIGE is a work of craft not commerce, and as such it is a daring and delicate piece of art. The Nolan brothers have adapted Christopher Priest's dense novel into a bold, powerful film which, like even the simplest of magic tricks, could fail miserably were one false move made in its execution. Yet as the director of a complex psychological tapestry such as MEMENTO or the character-driven revival of a pop culture knight in BATMAN BEGINS, Christopher Nolan electrifies THE PRESTIGE with the dark mysteries of the human soul which propel these two magicians into chaotic conflict, never once bungling his three-act wonder.
As for the screenplay, once again the Nolan brothers base their films on a sturdy foundation of a script, which exploits the subject's inherent bias toward illusion without ever devolving into a gimmick-cluttered plot. Though there are plenty of suspenseful twists and turns as these characters pursue ever-darker paths of professional achievement and personal destruction. The script invites its audience to look behind the curtains of stage magic without ever fully surrendering the artistry behind it. THE PRESTIGE is the difference between knowing the trick and knowing how to perform it, perfectly demonstrating our fascination with revealing a mystery and still being captured by it. As layer upon layer of illusion, lies and half-truths are peeled back, our journey to the heart of this intense rivalry of magicians becomes more obscured by how these men manipulate reality to confound our suspicions and expectations. The end result is sheer, enthralling entertainment.
THE PRESTIGE is the third stage of a magic trick, "the part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before." And so THE PRESTIGE delivers on that promise, as Christopher Nolan adds another masterwork to his rich history of film successes that promise only to grow better and more consistently enjoyable with each project. His latest work, is no parlor trick at all  THE PRESTIGE is true cinema magic.