Since his debut, Christopher Nolan has applied his love for film noir to an avant-garde thriller, superhero movie, and now, a period piece with sci-fi flavour. For as long as Nolan is making movies, this once dead genre will have a pulse. In The Prestige, Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play Borden and Angier, two turn-of-the-century neo-magicians competing to be London rsquo;s premier stage performers.
They have opposing ideals: Borden believes in the cheap thrills of death, while Angier believes in sheer spectacle. Once friends, they rsquo;ve become rivals since Borden tied a faulty knot on Angier rsquo;s wife rsquo;s wrists during an escape act in which she drowned. If you thought Biggie and Tupac had a beef, watch these men, over a decade, sabotaging each other rsquo;s acts with attempted murder.
Consumed by jealousy, their obsessions turn into a cannibalization of each other rsquo;s acts. As the competition heats up, they look for ways to transcend magic and enter the realm of wizardry, doing what magicians pretend to do. Like classic film noir anti-heroes, Borden and Angier take turns being the bad guy.
They rsquo;re dual-protagonists and dual-antagonists, tempted by a salacious femme fatale (Scarlett Johansson). Michael Caine rsquo;s character plays mentor to the both of them, trying to bring reason to their disillusionment. It also features a catalytic cameo by David Bowie, in one of the greatest entrances in cinema.
Because Nolan scrambles time, jumping from end to start, to middle and back, we know from the beginning that Angier will die, with Borden jailed for his murder. Nolan gives away a lot up front, but how he does this and still surprises us throughout is pure magic. Trying to analyze his techniques of showing and concealing would be like asking a magician for his secrets.
Together with his sidekick Wally Pfister mdash;who would still be shooting soft-core porn if it wasn rsquo;t for the success of Memento mdash;they have engineered one of the most effective thrillers in recent memory. The fluidity of this story is in part due to its plethora of pithy scenes that, although dimly lit and gracefully shot, are an antidote for yawning. The dirty angles and obstructed lens give a sense of audience intrusion, while the pale winter backdrop invite an element of fantasy, reminding you of the supernatural lurking below the surface.
If magic was as enthralling to people today as it was 100 years ago, this could have been a summer blockbuster. It is just as entertaining as Dead Man rsquo;s Chest, and infinitely smarter. When I was a kid, I remember watching Sidekicks and immediately wanting to be like Chuck Norris and drop-kick my older brother.
After The Prestige, I felt the same inspiration, only this time I wanted to saw my brother in half. See this movie because it is the first sign of life to an otherwise perfunctory fall season. V
Written by Nolan, Jonathan Nolan Starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson
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