Story-telling at its finest

Rating: 9/10 (22 September 2007)

Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as a pair of young, up-and-coming magicians who start out as friends, but eventually become the bitterest of rivals with each man obsessed with finding out the other's methods.
What amazes me is just how well told the story is. It pulls you in with the opening scene and just doesn't let go. The film doesn't follow a linear path. Instead, it starts off by providing a glimpse of film's final stages and then goes back and fills you in on what happened to arrive at that point. The film frequently jumps between different time periods, in some places juggling three time periods at once, but it's done so well that it's never confusing about where you are in the story.
The subject matter deals with magicians and their methods for tricking audiences. What really makes it interesting is that the film is put together like a giant magic trick. When you reach the end, everything just falls into place and fits perfectly. Repeat viewings don't detract from the movie at all. Rather, they simply add more depth to the overall story. You gain a greater appreciation for the acting and story-telling and are more aware of how the film's props hint at the story's eventual outcome.
The performances are fantastic all around. Hugh Jackman gives a noteworthy performance as Robert Angier, an originally decent man who has allowed himself to become twisted with hate and obsession with learning fellow magician Alfred Borden's tricks. Christian Bale delivers a top notch performance as Borden, the target of Angier's obsession. The excellence of Bale's performance isn't as immediately obvious, but during repeat viewings subtleties and nuances of his performance that are tough to spot the first time become more obvious. Lastly, Michael Caine is excellent in a supporting role.
All told, this is just one fantastically made movie. Highly recommended. 9/10