The Prestige (2006) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

USA, UK 2006
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo, David Bowie
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: October 20 2006
Running Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

The Movie Review

The Prestige film still 1

Watch where ur hand's going buddy..


THE PRESTIGE
Storyline:
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Magic is a fascinating art of entertainment. Illusion, mind tricks, card tricks and other numerous tricks have fascinated the audience for centuries. If you could practice even a single trick to your friends, likely they'll admire you. Magicians and illusionist have already had their own shows on TV or at live stages for decade, they don't necessarily need a story to attract their audience. Now what if, the story of the magician himself becomes the main theme of a movie? Just like in The Prestige... Of course with the additional obligatory magic tricks, The Prestige is a great and fascinating movie.

The Prestige is based on a 9th novel of Christopher Priest that's released in 1995 with the same title, and which won five awards.

Set against the backdrop of London in the 1897, it tells of the deadly rivalry between two young and talented magicians who were once friends. Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) who's an American and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), a British, are competing with each other through means of deadly and manipulative tricks. Tricks that unfortunately not only cost their time and sanity but also risk their loved ones. Who will win this lethal rivalry?

The Australian actor which most people know him as Wolverine, Hugh Jackman, is an actor who often roles in gritty and "old" movie, after being a vampire hunter in Van Helsing (year 1887), being a duke Leopold in Kate & Leopold (year 1876), now he is a magician in The Prestige (year 1867). But arguably there isn't enough room for character-development in The Prestige, Jackman's acting in this thriller film doesn't seem to stand out. Lucky for him, other cast are plain generic as well. Director Christopher Nolan still uses low-light technique for his film and brings back Christian Bale after their collaboration in Batman Begins (2005).

The Prestige owes much to the magic tricks contained in it and how they're unraveled for the movie's sake. It is the twists and turns of the magicians that are really engaging. The movie is noteworthy for bringing up Magician theme that's rarely explored.

This film is gritty and magical, dark and mysterious, the manipulatively exiciting combination of The Prestige will take the audience for a journey of illusions.

> Another journey to the gloomy murky world of Victorian era: The Elephant Man (1980), The Illusionist (2006), and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007).

© iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com