A cinematic sleight-of-hand

Rating: 8/10 (12 May 2017)

Easily taking the crown of best magician-based movie of 2006 - swamping the distinctly wonder-less and barely remembered The Illusionist - Christopher Nolan's The Prestige is a cinematic sleight-of-hand; an enigma of a movie that is both a puzzle-box of misdirection and an engrossing tale of two warring magicians. When I first saw Nolan's fifth feature (and his second working with his brother and occasional writing partner Jonathan), its 'big reveal' seemed obvious to me early on in the third act, so when the grand revelations came at the climax, I was left feeling somewhat underwhelmed. In the years since, The Prestige has emerged as a firm favourite amongst Nolanites, so I was eager to re-visit it without the added pressure of trying to navigate through the film's many smokes and mirrors. Without this on my back, I could only sit back and admire a true craftsman at work, even though the narrative pushes the boundaries of credibility.
In 1890s London, two apprentice magicians from two vastly different backgrounds work for Milton (real-life magician Ricky Jay), assisting in a nightly trick involving a glamorous assistant and a tank of water. Hugh Jackman is Robert Angier, a handsome, charismatic American from a privileged background. Christian Bale plays Alfred Borden, a rough Cockney and magic purist. While Angier knows how to get an audience excited and keep them entertained, Borden is a sullen stage presence, choosing to challenge his audience rather than dazzle them. The real brains behind it all is Cutter (Michael Caine), the craftsman and adviser who builds all the apparatus and devices required for the increasingly elaborate tricks. After a Milton performance goes fatally wrong, Angier and Borden begin a personal and professional rivalry that will play out over the years. They sabotage each other's shows, steal secrets, and try to perfect the ultimate magic trick: The Transported Man.
Cutter explains the three-step theory on what makes a great illusion. There's the pledge (the set-up), the turn (the moment that grabs the audience's attention), and the prestige (the pay-off, when whatever has been disappeared is brought back again). It's what separates a jaw-dropping, head-scratching moment from a cheap card trick, and is precisely what separates the The Prestige from The Illusionist. Nolan truly understands the mechanics behind the prestige, after all, he toyed with our expectations and our perception of time with Memento. He wraps The Prestige up in a cloak of mystery, employing time-jumps and subtle camera tricks to keep the audience constantly engaged in trying to piece everything together. Nearly everything is key to unlocking the film's secrets, even the seemingly routine sub-plots involving Borden's wife (played by Rebecca Hall) and glamorous new assistant Olivia (Scarlett Johansson struggling with an English accent).
The inclusion of David Bowie's Nikola Tesla and Angier's quest to convince the engineer and physicist to build him a machine required to pull off the ultimate trick may be a step too far for some viewers. Tesla's involvement stretches science into the supernatural, and clashes with the grounded world built up until this point. But Bowie is terrific, and the frequent presence of Thomas Edison's goons offers some historical context, as well as an allegory for the obsessive rivalry between the two central characters. Jackman is very good at switching between hero and anti- hero, his hands increasingly dirtied trying to outmanoeuvre his rival, and while Bale can add Borden to his list of grating accents, he wins our sympathies despite the coldest of demeanours. Caine, Nolan's go-to exposition tool, also provides reliable support as the fatherly voice of reason, However, the real stars are the brothers Nolan, who arguably lay all their cards on the table in the opening scenes, for anybody paying close attention. But pay attention or not, you'll be swept up either way