The Prestige

Rating: 5/10 (18 February 2007)

The Prestige Prestige is about rivalry between two young magicians, who turn from friend to foe due to a mistake in which the lover of one magician is killed. This results in both the magician trying to out-play each other in each and every magic trick they perform, leading in the end to one magician being killed by the other. The story is about the twist and turns, flash-backs and magic-tricks. The plot is set up in early 20th century London. The direction is good. By the time the movie is little bit more than half  way over, you will realize the possibility of the mystery that the director is trying to evade your eyes. Than the remaining movie you will watch just to see whether the director brings a new turn to the story, and does it not match your sense of analysis. To mine it matched  but the movie is a bit beyond our knowing director's mystery. There are many twists and turns to confuse the viewers, may be the director expected the viewer to have a second go at the movie to properly understand and put the zig-saw puzzle in order. Would I venture for another viewing to better understand what happened in the movie? No, I would not.
Both the lead actors  Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale  play their role with conviction. Michael Caine as an adviser to Hugh Jackman also fits well in that character's role. There are two heroines  Piper Perabo - playing wife of Christian, and Scarlett Johansson  playing assistant and mistress for both magician from time to time.
Is there a thrill in the movie? A Bit. Is there a mystery in the movie? A forced mystery  the director after taking so many twists and turn in the script could had the freedom to end the movie any which way he was happy with. Every or any ending in this movie would be a mystery.
(5 Stars out of 10)