February 26th, 2009 | 
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The Prestige attempts a hat trick by combining a ridiculously good-looking cast, a highly regarded new director, and more than one sleight of hand. Does it pull it off? Sort of. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play rival magicians who were once friends before an on-stage tragedy drove a wedge between them. While Bale’s Alfred Borden is a more skilled illusionist, Jackman’s Rufus Angier is the better showman; much of the film’s interesting first half is their attempts to sabotage–and simultaneously, top–each other’s tricks. Even with the help of a prop inventor (Michael Caine) and a comely assistant (Scarlett Johansson), Angier can’t match Borden’s ultimate illusion: The Transporting Man. Angier’s obsession with learning Borden’s trick leads him to an encounter with an eccentric inventor (David Bowie) in a second half that gets bogged down in plot loops and theatrics. Director Christopher Nolan, reuniting with his Batman Begins star Bale, demonstrates the same dark touch that hued that film, but some plot elements–without giving anything away–seem out of place with the rest of the movie. It’s better to sit back and let the sometimes-clunky turns steer themselves than try to draw back the black curtain. That said, The Prestige still manages to entertain long after the magician has left the stage–a feat in itself. –Ellen A. Kim
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars a mystifying suspense ride to the unbelievable.
In the movie, The Prestige, you learn a magician provides the audience with three acts. (You must keep these in mind as you’re watching the entire movie because it’s the whole bases of what’s going to happen. Incidently, this isn’t a sleep on it movie, because every scene is crucial to the ending and figuring out the movie).
Without spoiling it for those who are waiting for DVD (I went to the dollar movie for this baby,) I’ll try not to mess it up for you.
The three acts are:
The pledge: The performer shows you something ordinary
The turn: The ordinary does something extraordinary.
The Prestige: You see something you haven’t seen before.
Christain Bale (from Batman Begins) and sexy Hugh Jackman (if you don’t know him then fooey on you), play friends, who become rivals after Christain makes a mistake and ties a knot wrong on Hugh’s wife (but he says he can’t remember and I’d like to get the movie on DVD just to find out exactly what knot did he really tie.) This rivalry becomes so vicious that it becomes a battle or a horrible game of tag. (It doesn’t look like they want to kill each other, but they definitely are trying to come close). Until one of them dies and the other is charged for the crime.
Now I know why they call it the Prestige, but I couldn’t figure that out until the end because I didnt’ expect the ending at all.
To find out more about this movie, check out yahoo at:
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4 Stars A VERY ENTERTAINING BIT OF NEAR MAGIC
Christopher Nolan has impressed me since INSOMNIA, and THE PRESTIGE was nearly as rewarding, but there were a few too many ingredients thrown into the mix this time. The movie seems to be trying too hard to find an identity ( Is it a thriller? Is it sci-fi? A fantasy? Perhaps a period piece? ). THE ILLUSIONIST managed to have just as many elements, but the hat-trick worked there, probably because all of it’s elements were introduced at once, and so were irrevocably tied to the story instead of becoming red herrings, or disjointed pieces of periphera. Still, it is a far better movie than some of the more heavily touted films of 2006, and a few viewings of it don’t disappoint.
The performances are excellent ( David Bowie in a small role, as the inventor, Tesla, was even fun ), and even though I figured out the main illusion almost immediately, it was still very fun to watch. It is not quite on a par with THE ILLUSIONIST, but it is a very watchable film.
3 Stars 2.5 stars out of 4
The Bottom Line:
The Prestige is an enjoyable enough and impeccably produced film, but the twists and turns are too many and too much to be believed, so much so that even the final “talking killer” revelatory moment doesn’t tie up all the loose ends it’s: fun to watch but increasingly frustrating to think about.
5 Stars Obsession
Since the brilliant and too-little noticed “Memento” many of us held our breath for the next construct of Christian Nolan’s creative direction - and the wait was rewarded with brilliance. Nolan selected a great story, “The Prestige” which is impossible to transfer to a silver screen (or more and more, a digital one) and transformed it into a screenplay that communicates brilliantly from the screen, providing a riveting study of human interaction and truly obsessive/compulsive behavior. As we watch Christian Bale’s and Hugh Jackman’s characters continually escalate the violence of their contest for The Prestige of magicians’ lore, we observe not just two deeply disturbed late-nineteenth century characters, but two brilliant performances (despite Bale’s inability to maintain a non-American accent for more than a few lines) under cool Nolan guidance. You won’t like the characters portrayed by Bale or Jackman - but you aren’t supposed to. Instead, observe the actors’ ability to inhabit the skins of their characters, and marvel. The twists and turns of plot are thrilling and the use of a technological miracle ? la H.G. Wells is almost credible. Those who are unable to suspend irrelevant beliefs when they enter a movie-maker’s world may be blinded to the real caliber of the performances by Nolan, Michael Caine as the calm provider of continuity and sanity, Jackman and Bale, even Sting. But if you are a buff of mystery, of period drama, of directorial excellence and consummate acting, this is a movie you will not just enjoy, but pull every once in a while from your library to enjoy yet again, even knowing the outcome.
5 Stars Prestigue Blu-ray
Product arrived on time and in perfect condition. This was a gift, so we were very pleased with the product and service. Transfer to blu-ray is outstanding.
