Brilliant!

Rating: 9/10 (18 March 2007)

When Christopher Nolan decided not to make the follow up to Batman Begins in order to concentrate on this, my reaction could be gauged as somewhere between disappointment and pathetic, howling cries of grief and anguish as I wept fanboy tears of despair. However, upon seeing it, I am definitely glad he did because The Prestige is one of the most enjoyable films from 2006 I've seen: a twisty turny epic about two rival magicians in Victorian era London trying to out do each other with more twists than a contortionists convention.
The story revolves around two men: Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), former friends turned bitter enemies after a tragic accident during one of their shows. Angier is the showman of the two, a good magician blessed with the fact he's got natural charisma practically gushing out of his ears. Borden on the other hand is a man brimming over with skill and invention, but has a rather dull personality compared to his rival. Constantly trying to outdo one another, Angier discovers that Borden has invented a new illusion called The Transported Man and becomes obsessed with discovering his secrets. Unable to do so, he creates his own version and sets in motion a spiralling chain of events that can only lead to the destruction of them both...
From out of this premise, Nolan creates an engrossing and highly enjoyable film. Jackman and Bale quite rightly burn up the screen, with Bale in particular going a long way towards justifying his reputation as one of the finest actors of his generation. There's a very strong emphasis on the spectacle of the magic industry as well, so to watch the two men performing their tricks is a riveting experience, not least of all when Angier perfects his version of the Transported Man and winds up travelling to the other side of a vast theatre in the space of two seconds. As with all magic, half the fun is trying to figure out how they do it, the other half is not knowing.
Unlike real life magic shows however, it's not all fun and games because for all it's showboating, The Prestige is still a very dark movie. Angry young men have always been strongly characterised in Nolan's movies and Angier and Borden are no exceptions. They are both sympathetic, realistic and detestable in equal measure, each man getting multi faceted characterisations to the extent that it's difficult to know which one to root for. The only downside of this is that the rest of the cast, with the exception of Michael Caine's venerable old master, don't get such loving time devoted to them. Rebecca Hall as Borden's wife Sarah in particular is a very sad character, worthy of a lot more screen time given Hall's fantastic performance.
Thankfully though, this is the only real complaint about the entire movie and isn't quite so noticeable on the first viewing when you get swept up in the duo's battle of wits amidst the fantastically recreated Victorian London. This confirms Nolan's reputation as one of the most talented storytellers in Hollywood today and is another glowing addition to his already impressive resume. And if the attraction of two men locked in a complex and vicious cycle of revenge isn't enough to justify a viewing...well, it also has Scarlet Johansson waltzing around in a skimpy corset. Try and resist it now.