So glad this movie did not stay an illusion...

Rating: 8/10 (26 May 2015)

In the filmmakers' minds. Instead, it became one of the finest films of the year 2006. "The Prestige" is a perfect example of what a movie should be like if it does not rely on you liking and cheering for the central characters. Neither Angier (Jackman), nor Borden (Bale) are likable characters at all. And yet you are completely under their spell as this film goes on. This may be a bit of a subjective take as I quite like Hugh Jackman and find Bale a joy to watch most of the time as well. And Johansson and Hall are among my favorite actresses as well. But it's not only the cast that makes it so much worth watching. It's also the visual side. Art direction, set decoration, cinematography and costumes are top-notch and even the rare special effects are pretty nice. The film managed two Academy Award nominations for its visual side, both of them very deserved and I actually would not have minded if it had won one of these over "Pan's Labyrinth". The film's director is Christopher Nolan and he also wrote the movie together with his brother after the first Batman film. He also cast some of the actors from his superhero trilogy, including Bale and Caine, the only one who didn't do that much for me. Now back to Nolan's script: I think this is probably the heart and soul of the film. Such love to detail, so much suspense, so many surprises and all these great scenes like the doppelgänger parts or the suicide of Hall's character in the room with all the birds, which were actually the way how he met her when he talked to her nephew. Very very smart screenplay. All in all, the best thing about it, however, is how he wrote the two protagonists and their egos constantly clashing with each other, maybe because they weren't so different after all. Of course, Jackman and Bale give great performances too and that is why it worked so well, but still you cannot appreciate Nolan's effort enough. And his brother's. Lets not forget about him. People say, Nolan has problems when it comes to directing and writing realistic female characters, but I disagree. He managed in this film without a doubt and he also managed in others. When the two magicians fight each other or I should probably say get their hands dirty, literally everybody else in this film is constantly affected: their women, their assistants, their set creators...
The accidental death of one character's wife sets off a deadly spiral which results in murder in the end. Or does it really? Nothing in this film is what it seems and we do not only get one major plot twist in the end, but two. Apart from that, the progress in terms of inventions and electricity also brings a completely new dimension of progress for the profession of a magician, actually for life in general, for everybody. So, we also get some interesting references on Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison. I also liked how Nolan revealed some tricks, but not all of them, so the movie itself stays a bit of a mystery still. This was the second time I watched this film and it was as good as the first. I highly recommend watching the almost 10-year-old, 120 minute-long "The Prestige". It's possibly my favorite Christopher Nolan movie.