Prestige takes Hollywood magic to impressive level

October 23, 2006 —

By asking the question, "Are you watching closely?" The Prestige quickly clues its audience into exactly what they need to be doing for the rest of the movie. A good thing on one level, but too straightforward on another.

Director Christopher Nolan is a man obsessed with the obsessed. From Guy Pierce's character obsessed with finding who killed his wife in Memento to Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne, who is obsessed with revenge and justice. The characters at the center of The Prestige, Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman), are once again obsessed, and this time it is with secrets and bettering one another in the art of magic.

The movie opens with Angier's death and Borden going to trial for his murder. We then flashback to their meeting of each other through Borden reading Angier's journal, which eventually turns into flashbacks of Angier's reading of Borden's journal. Confusing? That's the point, and why the tagline of "watching closely" is helpful.

The tagline, however, doesn't mean you should pay attention to just understand the narrative of the movie. It also means you need to be watching for clues to understand the twists and turns that eventually come. When I say twists and turns, I mean just that.

This is where listening to Michael Caine's Cutter (Angier's magical engineer) and his opening monologue is critical. He explains that there are three parts to any magic trick: First, the pledge, where the magician shows you something ordinary. Then the turn, where the magician makes the ordinary seem extraordinary. Finally, there is the prestige, where the twist is revealed to the shock of the audience. This is exactly what the movie does, which leaves you awestruck once it ends.

Yet, there are problems along the way. First is the fact that general audiences will probably end up quite confused. Even though the movie explains its twists at the end, piecing it all together again with the explanation can still be troubling. Another issue is the characters themselves. While the acting is top-notch on all fronts, Borden and Angier are so obsessive in their bettering of each other that they eventually do nothing but "keep their hands dirty." Nolan's insight into the obsession of man becomes a commentary on how evil human nature truly is. This leaves little room for sympathizing with the characters.

The film loses some of its pace around the halfway point, but you don't lose interest. You're just waiting for the twists, and once revealed, you're on the edge of your seat until it all makes sense. The cinematography and costumes are beautiful, making the film feel true to its early 20th century background. And oddly enough, David Bowie shows his acting prowess as a scientist by the name of Keslar and steals the show for a few scenes.

All of this adds up to make The Prestige one of the more challenging mainstream films of the year. If you are willing to be tricked, however, it is most certainly worth the effort and the ride.