Movie #73 – The Prestige (2006) - 130 min, cert 12A.
Two magicians are working the stage circuit at the close of the nineteenth century, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale). They used to work together until a mistake by Borden caused the death of Angier’s wife during an underwater escape trick. Angier cannot forgive the mistake and the two become bitter rivals, each constantly trying to undermine and outdo the other. When Borden comes up with a new trick which he calls ‘The Transported Man’ where he appears to move instantly from one side of the stage to the other, Angier becomes obsessed with finding out its secret so he can replicate and improve it.
It was quite refreshing to go into a modern movie knowing absolutely nothing about it. I found it hugely enjoyable. Christopher Nolan handles the intricate plot twists with his usual aplomb, just like he did in Memento and Inception, and he keeps the audience guessing until the very end of the film. A certain amount of suspension of disbelief is required when Nikola Tesla (David Bowie of all people) apparently breaks at least one of the fundamental laws of physics, but I don’t have a problem with that. This is fiction after all, and it’s no more of a stretch than the time-travelling DeLorean in Back to the Future.
Score – 9/10. Maybe not an absolute classic, but hugely enjoyable nonetheless.
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