Prestige a fun, well made, dark film.

Rating: 9/10 (23 October 2006)

If you compare the book to the movie, the book is actually better. A month before "The Prestige" was released I started reading Christopher Priest's award winning book of the same name. I was totally engrossed in it, not only was it a page turner, but it also was an extremely fun read. Not once did I think, "Oh wow, this is getting boring," like most books I read. I was even thinking of writing a review of it because it was so well written, but instead I'll tell you now, READ IT! The book was extremely different from the film, director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins) took a lot of liberties. But since the two are so different I won't compare them anymore, I'll just talk about the movie.
Magicians Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are the best of friends until Borden accidentally kills Angier's wife during a magic show. They part ways, but Angier is suddenly obsessed with taking revenge on Borden. He sabotages one of Borden's shows and ends up wounding him. Now Borden wants revenge. What follows is a series of one-upmanship between the two rivals.
Jackman and Bale are brilliant as always, showing the madness of these characters and their need for revenge. Michael Caine plays a mentor-like character named Cutter with a strong cockney accent, and does amazing. The other actors; Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis, Piper Perabo, and David Bowie, are all noteworthy holding their own against the great acting chops of Jackman, Bale, and Caine. One thing that confused me though, it is never really explained why they go to such lengths to hurt the other, when it was an accident to begin with. This was explained in the book, but not in the film. Everything else though was masterfully crafted, and well explained. The cinematography, the somewhat grainy look, the dark and sometimes humorous approach of the film are all trademarks of Chris Nolan. He showed he could direct with "Batman Begins" which also starred Bale and Caine- and he has shown it again with "The Prestige". It is a fun film, with plenty of twists and turns, and is a great way to spend a Saturday night. Oh, and if you didn't catch my drift before, read the book as well. I give "The Prestige" 9 out of 10. It is rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images.