A little bit of Nolan

Rating: 9/10 (1 June 2007)

I told myself that I would watch this movie once more before writing about it. I have already done it, and this is what I have: Christopher Nolan has done four very good and very different films; "Memento", "Insomnia", "Batman Begins" and "The Prestige". That the last one is a little better than the previous ones only shows his continuing growth as a writer and director. While "Memento" was a complex tale about an amnesic man's mind and "Batman Begins" a brave new beginning of the famous franchise; "The Prestige" is the adaptation of a novel about the world of magic.
Written alongside his brother Jonathan, the director's script doesn't take long to get us inside this world where we want to believe everything; that world of tricks and illusions. "Are you watching closely?", a voice off screen asks as soon as the film's first frame appears; and if you don't listen or pay attention to this, you probably won't understand the story. The question is also an indirect invitation to pay attention to how the movie looks, thanks to Wally Pfister's incredible cinematography.
Followed by the mentioned question, an inspired Michael Caine gives a speech concerning the three steps that complete a magic trick, while he does one to a little girl. This girl is a fundamental piece of the plot, but we find that out later. The way in which Nolan's direction and writing combine to, little by little, give way to new developments of the plot, is one of the points that show the filmmaker's improvement.
It's enough saying that "The Prestige" is about an eternal competition between two magicians, each one excellent in their own way: Robert Angier (Hugh Jackmam) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale, on the way to become a Nolan regular). And you must trust me when I tell you that such competition ends up consuming their lives; ruining the ones of the ones around them.
This relationship of admiration, mixed big time with obsession, envy and resentment; can be perfectly seen in the performances the main actors assume. Being separated and meeting face to face rarely throughout the movie, is like they know each other by heart and they can look at each other; in moments where the plot puts them in different times, because the film deals with three different situations (in different times) at the same time.
If you hadn't considered Hugh Jackman as talented until now, or if you had seen him as a guy with luck, "The Prestige" is the place to discover his interpretative power and become conscious of the talent he is. And Bale, he easily steals the show with another performance full of his own unforgettable elements. The presence of both is so strong that Scarlett Johansson, generally a main attraction, is clearly unnoticed.
When the movie is over, you'll have a feeling of dissatisfaction that will make you want to see it again. I know that it happened to Matsan and it happened to me too. I couldn't do it because I saw the film in the cinema, but if you rent it don't think twice and do it because it's worth it: "The Prestige" is a cinematographic pearl.