The Prestige

2006

PG-13

2h 10m

IMDb RATING

8.2/10

17K

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Drama

Mystery

Science Fiction

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.

Directors

Christopher Nolan

Writers

Christopher Nolan(screenplay by)

Jonathan Nolan(screenplay by)

Christopher Priest(novel by)

Stars

Hugh Jackman

Christian Bale

Michael Caine

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Watch The Prestige - Trailer

Top cast

Robert Angier

Alfred Borden

Cutter

Julia McCullough

Sarah

Olivia Wenscombe

Jess

Tesla

Alley

Judge

Prosecutor

Defender

Captain

Owens

Sullen Warder

Stagecoach Driver

Hotel Manager

Milton

Directors

Christopher Nolan

Writers

Christopher Nolan(screenplay by)

Jonathan Nolan(screenplay by)

Christopher Priest(novel by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

As ever with Christopher Nolan films the chronology needs close attention - as so many of the clues as to what the hell is actually going on require a considerable degree of concentration (and multiple viewings) before any semblance of quality emanates from the outwardly cluttered and, frankly, preposterous plot. We start with Christian Bale ("Borden") about to swing for the murder of Hugh Jackman ("Angier") but of course it is not that simple; and through a series of complex flashbacks we discover just how these two, erstwhile friends and colleagues, got themselves into this predicament. This is a story about ambition, obsession - to succeed and to hate; it has elements of love - both men have relationships, one the cause of their estrangement; the other (with Scarlett Johansson) continues to fuel it. The whole nature of their profession - illusionists; conjurers of/to the imagination - lends itself splendidly to the subject of this vendetta. The look of the film is first class, with Wally Pfister creating a gem of vivid imagery with some wonderful visual effects too. The performances are OK - they are not great; the dialogue is likewise. For a film essentially about seeing being believing (or not) the script is frequently too wordy and overpowers the subtle opportunities for the actors to demonstrate rather than speak their parts. Sir Michael Caine probably brings the most authentic accent to the proceedings - the others left me needing quite a bit of convincing; and the brief appearances of David Bowie as Tesla were a poor choice of casting, I felt. This is a good film, and I enjoyed it - but I did need to watch it 4 times before I felt half way comfortable writing anything down about it!

Geronimo196702 Jun, 2024