The Prestige
Review by Fritz Esker
I felt it necessary to wait a few days after I caught the latest from director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Memento) before I reviewed it. Like Memento, it is a film that features a big twist at the end and is such a intricate, complex film that multiple viewings are probably necessary to fully appreciate all of its subtleties. Upon a few days reflection, I've come to the conclusion that The Prestige is a very good film, if not quite the all-time classic that Memento is.
Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) start their careers as assistant magicians in 20th century London . Each aspires to be a star magician himself. After a horrible accident occurs involving Robert's beloved wife (Piper Perabo), the two men develop a rivalry that escalates in competitiveness, bitterness, and violence.
Thematically, The Prestige covers a lot of the same ground as Nolan's previous works. Memento was about a man trying to find solace from his grief in a neverending quest for revenge for his wife's murder. Batman Begins is about Bruce Wayne trying to channel his rage and grief over his parents' murders into something positive. Similarly, the most chilling aspect of The Prestige is watching as Jackman's character, who starts out as a decent guy, gradually becomes more amoral and vicious as his grief overwhelms him and his obsessions with revenge grows stronger. It is a tremendously effective portrait of how grief can destroy a decent human being.
Jackman and Bale do terrific work in the leads. Bale, who is arguably the greatest actor of his generation, gives a splendid performance than one cannot truly appreciate until after the film is over (you need to see it to understand what I mean). Jackman's natural charisma serves him very well as the more audience friendly of the two magicians. The two actors also receive fine support from Michael Caine and David Bowie.
Even though its final twist is not particularly surprising, it remains effective, because it actually makes sense given what has preceded it in the film. So many films aim to shock above all else, even if the closing twist makes no sense as a result. The Prestige's final twist may be fairly easy to discern, but since the story leading up to it is engrossing and the twist plays fair, it still works.
For fans of Nolan's work, The Prestige is well worthwhile.