Deborah Lipp

The Prestige (2006) 6/10
Rival magicians Borden (Christian Bale) and Angier (Hugh Jackman) each seek the secret of the other’s tricks, especially the elusive “Transporting Man.”

Screenwriter/Director Christopher Nolan specializes, it seems, in uncovering secrets, and in making that uncovering tell us something about ourselves. His Memento was a bravura piece of work, with a gimmick both clever and simple. On the one hand, it was compelling, and on the other, it wasn’t distracting; it stood to the side and let us contemplate the relationship between memory and self. Unfortunately, there is so much illusion in The Prestige, so much complex and over-loaded discussion of its nature, that the whole idea of insight is entirely lost. Oh, sure, there’s a final scene discussing The Meaning Of It All, but there’s no experience of that meaning.

The movie opens with an explanation of the title (which you’ve heard if you’ve seen the previews). A magic trick has three acts: A Pledge (showing you something ordinary), a Turn (doing something non-ordinary), and the Prestige (twisting the Turn back in on itself). With a title like The Prestige, and a director like Nolan, we know this movie will twist around quite a bit. But the twists are singularly unsatisfying. There are three major ones, of which one has stopped mattering by the time it is revealed, one is obvious for at least a half-hour before the reveal, and one is just stupid. I’m sorry, but…stupid.

The stellar cast (including Michael Caine, Scarlet Johanssen, and David Bowie) are all there to play dress up and fool around with the cool machinery, none of them make us forget that there’s a lot of whiz-bang razzle-dazzle to pay attention to. And if the actors can’t misdirect you, then it’s not much of a magic trick.

Despite the movie’s disappointments, let’s give a nod to one of the most beautiful opening shots I’ve seen in a long time; the field full of top hats is exquisite.