Nolan Weaves Magic - Abracadabra!

Rating: 10/10 (23 March 2015)

"Are you watching closely?" Just as magicians use this gibe on their audience, the makers here keep constantly nudging its audience throughout this tricky thriller. The Prestige is a carefully crafted story of trickery and deception of two rival magicians in Victorian England, directed by the greatest magician of them all: Christopher Nolan. It is a taut, exciting portrait of obsession and the dark competitive spirit of professional magicians.
Set in a world of top hats, cravats and disappearing bunnies, The Prestige tells the tale of Alfred Bowden (Bale) and Robert Angier (Jackman), who start out as fledgling magician apprentices. They get locked in a bitter feud after the death of an assistant in an illusion gone wrong and subsequently go in search of the ultimate trick. As their quest to become the greatest magician becomes resilient, the counter maneuvers escalate and elevate each man to greater achievement in their desire to be the best. Just when it seems clear that Borden's obsession could only be satisfied by Angier's death, the film turns in on itself again, and we're left searching the stage for clues, grow even more anxious for the big prestige. Soon, flashbacks switch to flash forwards, and quickly we're entangled in a murky conundrum. But that's all I will say. You wouldn't want me to spoil the prestige for you now!
Nolan keeps the mood eerie and unsettling, and with all its Gothic trimmings The Prestige comes to feel like a slow-burn horror movie. There are nifty tricks galore up the sumptuous sleeve of this mystifying and wildly entertaining thriller, about obsession, secrets and lies. As is his want, Nolan jumps between time periods and voice-overs with reckless abandon. The movie's real trick is that it all somehow manages to congeal. You know all along you're being misdirected by cinematic sleight of hand, but you can't avoid being sucked in and that is Nolan's greatest triumph. Of course, he is ably buoyed by a pair of carefully complex performances from his superb lead cast who weave the film's heftier ideas seamlessly into the breathable fabric of a great thriller.
Nolan has been exploring the dual nature of man throughout his extraordinary career. With The Prestige though, Nolan takes this aspect to new realms. He directs the film exactly like a great trick, so you want to see it again the second it's over. You will leave the cinema posed with the exact same question "Was I watching closely?"