Did you watch it closely?

Rating: 9/10 (13 November 2006)

After some of the reviews this film was receiving from the popular press i was quite reticent in going to see it, my major motivation for going was namely the direction of Christopher Nolan and the extremely accomplished acting of Christian Bale, however after i finished watching this film i was nothing but shocked, amazed and truly humbled by one of the greatest pieces of film-making i have seen in rather a long time.
I would like to start my review by saying this film is NOT and i repeat NOT about the revelation of the trick and how it was achieved. I have read some rather snooty and sniping comments levelled at this film and how they state that they saw the twist coming from a mile off....that is the point, there are enough clues throughout the film to show the spectator what is going to happen and Nolan does not hide these facts, they are there for a reason and i will not give the true reason away, all i will say is that if you know what makes Psycho and the Usual Suspects such masterpieces then you will know why The Prestige is a film of such ilk.
Not only does this film have such a strong story it also sets itself in such a believable period of time, no expense is spared on the set design, the cinematography and editing has all the hallmarks and contemporary feel of a Nolan film, however it adds a haunting and almost tangible feel of impending dread throughout. The immediacy of the film meant as a spectator i was never left flagging and i was shocked to realise that this film was 2 hours and 20 plus minutes long as it felt i had barely sat in my seat before the credits rolled at the end, such the power of this film is that it felt that i had been on a journey with the main protagonists and came out of it a different person.
My one concern of this film was the performance of Scarlett Johannsen. I am aware that she is in the film as part of the exposition, however she is that bad and her abilities are that wooden that i still sit here in amazement in how she can still get work in Hollywood, however that is just a small point and thankfully her part is limited.
In conclusion i feel that this film will be misinterpreted a lot and if you you like your twists in the Saw or Seven vein (good films that they are) then i feel that you will be left disappointed, however if you want to see a masterpiece of film technique and true grandiose themes then The Prestige will be for you, I watched it closely and i got the point...so the question is did you?