?Every trick has the “pledge?, (introduction of an ordinary object and the promise of something extraordinary); the “turn” (the audience is startled and left in suspense not knowing what to expect); and the “prestige”, (the climax that astonishes them)?.
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One goes to see The Prestige expecting to be fooled as an audience, but instead the director, Chris Nolan (Batman Begins, Insomnia) takes you behind the curtain to witness the magic.? This movie is for everyone who ever wondered where that little white rabbit really disappeared to.?The part of the magician is to outsmart its audience, to provide a trick so clever no one could possibly fathom exactly how? he did it.? The Prestige plays with the mind of its audience in a similar way, hinting with clues here and there but never quite giving you enough to put your finger on it.?
In turn of the century London, Angier (Hugh Jackman), an illusionist who although has great stage presence, lacks that extra-something, and Borden (Christian Bale), a magician whose superiority in craft makes up for his inability to truly ?sell? the show, are working side by side as magician?s assistants.?
A fatal accident involving a water-tank trick, where Angier?s wife is killed, causes the two magicians to become enemies.? Angier holds Bordon at fault for his wife?s death and is ignited on a destructive path of obsession that eventually consumes him and the majority of the film.? Bordon, in turn also becomes fixated in an obsession of his own as they both race to become the greatest magician of all time.?
The two men?s obsession with each other?s magic tricks steadily mounts with increasing tension as they try to sabotage each other whenever one reveals a new trick to the public.? One incident involving Jackman?s revenge-consumed character Angier, causing Borden to lose a couple fingers in a mishap bullet-catching trick.? Cutter (Michael Caine) recounts the battle of wits and trickery, and plays a major part in training the men in the ways of illusion as a teacher and later becomes a collaborator with Angier, assisting him with his quest for glory and vengeance.?
The feud between the men is further enraged when Bale comes up with an ingenious trick that mystifies the magic world – The Transporting Man. Borden goes into a tall wooden box with a closing door and then seconds later, emerges in similar second box across the room. Angier, possessing superior stage skills, steals the act for himself, slightly improvised.?Though Angier tailors the act to suit himself, he is still tormented by the fact that he doesn?t know exactly how Borden did it.??
Throughout an intersecting series of flashbacks reaching from the trial of one of the men?s murder to the present as described by Cutter, scenes overlap where each magician reads the other?s journal, lending clues to somewhat help connect the beginning to the end, and the events that led to each man?s predicament of rage and intersecting anguish. Later, Angier meets Nikola Tesla (David Bowie), who he believes can design a machine that can actually do ?real? magic, the film takes an interesting yet pleasing turn into sci-fi.
“The secret impresses no one,” Cutter (Michael Caine) states, and I think that is the real truth to this film.? Some plots are so obvious that the audience guesses right away but some are so mind-boggling you and your friend?s will be talking about that little surprise twist at the end for days afterwards.? The fact is, that this film isn?t so much about the secret or the plot that unfolds in the end.? It?s more so about the unraveling of the secret little by little, and the direction that each man?s obsession takes him in.
CAST
Robert Angier . . . . . . . . . . .HUGH JACKMAN
Alfred Borden . . . . . . . . . . .CHRISTIAN BALE
Cutter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MICHAEL CAINE
Julia McCullough . . . . . . . . . PIPER PERABO
Sarah. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .REBECCA HALL
Olivia Wenscombe . . . . . . . .SCARLETT JOHANSSON
Jess. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SAMANTHA MAHURIN
Tesla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DAVID BOWIE
Alley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ANDY SERKIS
Judge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DANIEL DAVIS
Prosecutor . . . . . . . . . . . . . JIM PIDDOCK
Defender. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHRISTOPHER NEAME
Captain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MARK RYAN
Owens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ROGER REES
A NEWMARKET FILMS
and SYNCOPY Production
A Film by CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
Directed by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
Screenplay by . . . . . . . . . . . . .JONATHAN NOLAN
and CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
Based on the Novel by . . . . . . .CHRISTOPHER PRIEST
Produced by . . . . . . . . . . . . . .EMMA THOMAS
?????????????????????????????????????????????AARON RYDER
???????????????????????????????????????????? CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
Executive Producers . . . . . . . . CHARLES J.D. SCHLISSEL
?????????????????????????????????????????????CHRIS J. BALL
?????????????????????????????????????????????WILLIAM TYRER
?????????????????????????????????????????????VALERIE DEAN
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