The Prestige
Christopher Nolan pulls a few too many rugs out from underneath his audience, but there’s no questioning he’s one of our most talented movie magicians. From his 2001 masterpiece “Memento” through his underrated 2002 psychological thriller “Insomnia” to last year’s exceptional “Batman Begins,” Nolan has forged a career out of playing with audience expectations, and he continues his taut trickery with his intriguing adaptation of Christopher Priest’s novel, which Nolan collaborated on with his co-writer brother Jonathan.
The second turn of the century magician film to come out in three months- following August’s “The Illusionist”- “The Prestige” is structured like a magic trick. The film follows the rivalry between two London magicians- the great Alfred Borden (Christian Bale, reuniting with his “Batman” director and delivering a riveting turn) and the good Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman, ditching the badass “X-Men” persona in his 5th of 6 features this year and finding depths of jealousy and pain in the role)- as they attempt to top and thwart each other one turn after another. Borden is a natural magician, while Angier is a natural showman; neither has the complete package, and both men see their success rise and fall as their personal battles grow more intense.
As Angier’s mentor Cutter is Michael Caine- yes, for this film Batman’s Alfred is against him (seemingly; as with magic, looks can be deceiving)- and he provides not just the film’s moral center but also the voice we hear at the beginning and end of the film, telling us the three acts of a good magic trick. The first is The Pledge, where the magician shows the audience something ordinary. Next, there’s The Turn, where the magician takes the ordinary thing, and makes it do something extraordinary. But you don’t applaud just yet. That’s where The Prestige- the third act- comes in. It’s the moment when you make the audience question whether what they’ve just seen is real.
It makes sense, then, that Nolan would be the right man for the job. Not including his debut “Following” (which I haven’t seen), his films all play with the chronology of scenes and stories to further enhance the psychological tension that his characters feel. “The Prestige” plays on this principle better than any Nolan film since “Memento,” as he keeps us off-balance as to where in the story we are while also increasing the anxiety the main characters feel. That he doesn’t show his hand until the last reel, making us guess where the story’s headed, shows his deft command of filmmaking as a storytelling medium- not the easiest thing to do at times.
It’s not always there, however, which is what keeps the film a step below his previous films. There are three main women in the film; Angier’s wife Julia (Piper Perabo); Borden’s wide Sarah (Rebecca Hall); and Olivia (Scarlett Johansson), who serves as assistant and mistress to both at some point. The acting by all three is top-notch, regardless of how large the role, but none seem to have much emotional impact to the magicians at the center. Mind you, the filmexplains it, so it’s kind of the point, but in regards to Borden in particular, one would hope for a little more than what we get. The ending also leaves something to be desired. Similarly with the women, there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with it per se, it’s just a little too much in the way of contrivances- it just feels too far to go to get to the end I guess. Like I said, one too many rugs pulled out.
Regardless, “The Prestige” is a deviously-entertaining thriller, with a period look that’s exceptionally evoked on every production level (the art direction and costumes could be stealth Oscar nominees), and engrossing story that’s elevated by a strong sense of mood (cinematographer Wally Pfister and composer David Julyan), and terrific performances all-around (an unrecognizable David Bowie and motion-capture Andy Serkis- developing into quite an interesting character actor- also make impressions). It’s pure popcorn compared to the artfully-rendered “The Illusionist,” but Nolan’s got some tricks up his sleeve. Are you looking closely?
