Illusion, misdirection, suspense and surprise; these words not only encapsulate “The Prestige”, but oddly enough are imperative to a good magic trick. From the director that brought us “Memento”, Christopher Nolan again delivers a film that interweaves smooth cuts from past to present, and never reveals too much of the plot in order to keep the audience guessing as to how each piece of the story fits into the overall scheme of things.
“The Prestige” takes place in England during the turn of the century and the audience is introduced to the behind the scenes world of magicians. The story follows Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) as they rise through the ranks of magicianship. At first their relationship is friendly, but after the death of Angier’s wife Julia (Piper Perabo) due to an on-stage mistake by Alfred, a chain reaction of revenge guides the rest of the film.
With the help of stage hand extraordinaire Cutter (Michael Caine), Angier gains knowledge of the craft to couple with his natural showmanship. However, he can never quite reach the mark that Alfred, the more advanced magician, has set. In Angier’s quest to ruin Alfred’s life and career, he is driven by a crazed notion to figure out Alfred’s secrets and to avenge his wife’s death.
This film has several layers to sift through which is made more difficult since the story is presented out of sequence. Every frame and every twist in the story keeps the audience members engaged because, the action and the miscalculation on the part of the audience, as to what the actual cause and effect of the character’s actions are, stretches out until the very end of the movie.
Moreover, the plot of the movie is similar to a game in which women are used as pawns on the stage as assistants and off the stage as well. In Rupert and Alfred’s respective quests to out do one another, Alfred’s wife Sarah (Rebecca Hall), Olive (Scarlett Johansson), the double agent assistant, and of course, Rupert’s wife Julia become casualties in some way as a result of their competition.
“The Prestige” is one of the most well written, acted, and directed films of the year. This film can seemingly do no wrong. The outstanding cast is also joined by the short, but sweet, appearance of David Bowie as Nikola Tesla, the real magician or genius in the mix. Finally, the use of beautiful scenery and again, the intriguing story kept me very interested.
It was quite enjoyable to slip into this world of magicians and their tricks. I suggest you leave your dorm and the mediocrity of school and see a film that will most certainly entertain and draw you in. This film is rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images and can be seen at Carmike 14 Cinemas.

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