The PrestigeChristian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine ....and a guy they call DAVID BOWIE
Ok. This movie is about two magicians, Rupert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale) who begin as friends and quickly become rivals. Their rivalry is not the fun kind- it's bitter and violent. Each man tries to trip up, one up, and mess up the other as they struggle to become the premiere magician in turn-of-the-century London. Trapped in the battle are Cutter (Michael Caine, complete with his cockney accent) as Angier's partner and engineer, Olivia (Scarlett Johansson) as the beautiful-assistant-turned-bait, and Borden's wife and daughter. When Borden appears to master 'The Vanishing Man' and Angier can't figure out how he does it, Angier goes to America to track down the infamous Nikola Tesla (David Bowie) and get some answers.
It is twists and turns, obsessions, deceit and it gets violent. In retrospect, there were only a few incidents of violence, but the intimacy of them leaves a significant mark on the movie so that it feels much more violent than it actually was. i couldn't decide whether i was on Angier's team or Borden's. Borden is the bad guy, but Angier's obsession is so intense that it's like watching your friend battle an unhealthy addiction. For this reason, the movie seems repetitive, but only until the next twist. Just when you think you can expect a certain outcome, it switches, then switches back, then flips inside out. It's all so spinny and interwoven that the four of us who went all had different understandings of the what and why and who. i should've known it would be so dark and twisty: it was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who did Memento, Insomnia and Batman Begins. Ultimately its about not accepting the world as it is, and trying to make something more out of it....whether you're genuinely making magic, or just employing a little slight of hand to make people 'ooh' and 'ahh' and escape for an hour or so. It's lavish, intense and addictive. And easy on the eyes :P
Highly recommended- 4 out of 5 smashed canaries
2 comments:
Yeah! The canaries! How unexpected was that!?! A couple of us went to see this on Saturday and it was totally good. I agree with your critique, even the part about it getting a little repetitive. The only thing I have to add is that I (for some unknown reason, seriously) was able to figure out Borden's secret waaaay before I was supposed to and thus it made the end reveal less fulfilling.
I think another thing that made this movie even better was the fact that a few weeks ago the same group of us put ourselves through the torture of The Illusionist with Ed Norton. Bad choice. Don’t waste your $10. The Prestige...good choice, worth the $10.
yes, the prestige was everything the illusionist should have been. including scarlett....
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