Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as rival magicians in this lavish period outing.
Christopher Nolan's The Prestige follows his well acclaimed previous films Batman Begins and Memento, this particular film is overshadowed by Nolan's Batman films and unfairly so in my opinion as it stands up strongly alongside his other works.
Starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as two magicians with a rivalry and intense competition in aiming to better one another in their acts.
The Prestige is a lengthy film to sit through and I often have concerns about particularly length films but any worries were dissolved after viewing. The Prestige is covered with twists and turns at every corner, leading the audience along as it continues. One is left to work out and predict the outcome of the actions of the characters involved as the story unravels itself.
The cast of the film is certainly solid with decidlely robust performances from both lead actors Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. The supporting cast is especially mighty with Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis and David Bowie all playing their roles to absolute perfection. Bowie's performance as Nikola Tesla stood out distinctly with a mysterious atmosphere surrounding him.
The Prestige's special effects in areas such as the acts of magic themselves shine wonderfully and provide a striking addition to the thick and heavy plot. Together with the wonderfully written script and individual performances combine to create an awe-inspiring watch.
Often the criminally overlooked trick in Christopher Nolan's repertoire - The Prestige is unfortunate to be the filling in a reboot Batman sandwich. People think of Batman Begins and then are immediately drawn to The Dark Knight, no mention of The Prestige in sight or sound. This is terribly unfortunate, as The Prestige is truly a fantastic piece of work.
Starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as two rival magicians with a fixed obsession for 'perfection' in the world of stage magic, the two attempt to outwit and surpass one another at every opportunity. Instead of Batman vs. Wolverine, it's Robert Angier and Alfred Borden going head to head. No claws, although that is made up for with plenty of tricks sprawled across the film.
The Prestige is not to be taken lightly; the film itself is a long one. Running for just over two hours, I was at first a little apprehensive of whether or not a rivalry dripped in magic could last the runtime of the film. But any concerns were quickly put to bed. With Nolan at the helm there are more than enough twists and plot turns to keep you satisfied. The plot is especially rich in detail and on repeated viewings even the minute subtleties will reward you with a smile.
With the majority of the film relying on the performances of the two magnificent magicians to see you through, the performances from both actors has to be equally as strong. And both Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman prove their worth with this film. You may have a 'favourite' when watching the film, but one actor never eclipses the other. This could easily have been a problem, but fortunately it doesn't exist within The Prestige and instead of criticising casting we can praise it. A number of supporting actors and actresses join along the way and again they are fantastic. Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis and even David Bowie as Nikola Tesla all play their parts to perfection. Speaking of Tesla, the scenes with Nikola are some of the most beautiful in the film. And that is high praise coming from a film bountiful of breathtaking cinematography.
A similar film was released alongside The Prestige in 2006, that being The Illusionist. The Illusionist was the film I watched first, and after the initial viewing thought it was okay. Nothing was painfully wrong with it, but The Prestige leaves it as a puff of smoke. The Illusionist was very CGI heavy, and although it had a great performance by Edward Norton acting as its backbone it lacked a certain something. And having watched The Prestige I have a slightly better understanding as to what it lacked - The tactile like nature of the magic.
In The Prestige there are a lot of close-up, intricate tricks alongside grand stage tricks with your traditional magic doors and boxes. You really get a strong sense that the actors went out of their way to actually learn a few things. There may indeed be a few moments were good ole' uncle special effects was called in, but there are also a handful of moments that look as though the actor real is performing the trick which is always good to think. I may be completely wrong with that assumption but a bit of whimsy never hurt anybody.
Although many will cite Batman Begins, The Dark Knight or even Memento as Christopher Nolan's best work, I believe The Prestige is more than able to stand proud amongst them.
I decided to watch The Prestige as I had recently seen it in Empire film magazine"s top 500 greatest movies of all time. While watching Christopher Nolan"s pre-Dark Knight period piece, you can"t help feeling you are part of a bigger event than just watching a movie. In the film two rival magicians attempt to threaten each other, sleep with each other"s lovers and steal each other"s tricks. The two leads are played by Australian actor Hugh Jackman (playing an American) and Welsh actor Christian Bale of Batman fame (playing a cockney). If these accents weren"t enough Scarlett Johansson is dragged in, demonstrating a rather poorly handled English accent, diving between the Queen"s English and stretched cockney vowels. However, the problems of Miss Johansson aside, this Victorian drama is brilliantly staged, with the plot switching time and location so that, in the end, all the pieces of the story fit perfectly. Michael Caine (another actor in the cast also seen in Nolan"s Batman films) is blinding as the brains behind the spectacles, but an even bigger, if more understated, guest-star is David Bowie as an eerie scientist who is commissioned by Jackman"s magician to make a duplicating machine. When the duplication business occurs the film does start to have a hint of fantasy silliness about it (and gets too far fetched for words) but the stylish production values never fail to entertain. The twist at the end is slightly unsatisfactory (more explaining would have been nice) but a gasp realization moment is what it delivers, and, to be fair, it delivers it stunningly.
With twist, after twist, after twist, 'The Prestige' truly is magic!
A beautifully crafted film, from a spectacualar director (Christoper Nolan), which will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout!
'The Prestige' follows two rival magicians, Robert (Jackman) and Alfred (Bale), who intensively try to out do each other. As obsession, jealousy and desperation take over, who will win?
The pledge... the turn... and definitely the prestige!
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In turn-of-the-century London, two rival magicians battle it out for supremacy, performing more and more elaborate and dangerous illusions. When a stunt ends in tragedy, the game becomes about more than just one-upmanship and all about revenge. Christopher Nolan's twisty narrative keeps you guessing right up to its breathless cards-on-the-table finale.
Thriller starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. Rupert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale) are London-based magicians of the highest order, both blessed with spectacular powers of deception and both cursed with unrelenting envy for one another's skills. When Alfred performs an awe-inspiring trick for which there seems no logical explanation, the friendly competition shared between the pair turns to deadly rivalry as the enraged Rupert determines to uncover his rival's deepest secrets. In the world of illusion, however, nothing is ever quite as it seems, and the rules of the physical world simply don't apply. Now, as bitter competition quickly begins to consume the souls of both performers, the firestorm birthed by their anger threatens to consume all who surround them.
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