The Prestige (2006)

I love movies with twists. Caper movies, robbery movies, con-man movies, supernatural movies – if they have a decently structured and immaculately revealed twist then I’m generally happy, regardless of the quality of the rest of the picture. I guess it’s like an intellectual challenge, except in narrative form – sudoku or crosswords bore me rigid, but tell me that a new movie has a great twist in it then I’ll be knocking on the box office kiosk come opening weekend.  I guessed it was two killers in Scream about 20 minutes in, that Bruce Willis was without a pulse in The Sixth Sense and <SPOLIER ALERT> that they were conning the con man in Nine Queens . A movie like The Prestige is certain to intrigue, and I’m happy to report that this is a smart, well constructed (if a bit overlong) film which has the audacity to explore the notion that the very fact of watching a movie revolves around the audience embracing a necessary illusion…..

Christian Bale and High Jackman (the first time I’ve seen him worthy of a leading man role) play duelling magicians in a sepia hued Europe on the cusp of the 20th century. As the story weaves through the challenges and tricks the two protagonists unleash on each other, Nolan also explore the gulf between reality and fantasy, science and belief against an intriguing backdrop of a world uncertainly embracing the twin evolving marvels of science and technology. The dual motif structure is reflected on many levels of the film – as the story unfolds and the twists are revealed, you’ll understand what I mean….

It’s not perfect – the delectable Scarlett Johansson is sorely underused (what has happened to her career? The Island, Match Point, and now this? Sack her agent) and I honestly can’t remember what happened to her character – she seems to vanish about 45 minutes before the final denouement. Andy Serkis continues his shifty side-kick career as Alley, henchman to David Bowie’s Nicoli Tesla – a real world cult figure. Don’t let the critics put you off, the accent is not that bad. All in all, a very entertaining, smart and thought-provoking movie. I’d welcome thoughts and opinions in the comments field – although I warn you who haven’t seen it that there will inevitably be major spoilers so avoid if you intend to see it.

For my money, it’s always a sign of quality to see Ricky Jay in a movie, even if only for a cameo as another magician in The Prestige. The man is one of the leading close hand magicians in the world, and in fact advises movie makers on technical special effects and tricks that can be performed ‘in-camera’ – given the glut of CGI polluting our screens these days this makes him something of a unique figure. He can actually throw playing cards into fruit and was until recently the world record holder – 190 feet distance at a speed of 90mph. Does this make him a portly real world Bullseye?

I also managed to catch saw Pan’s Labyrinth this week, but that is another story….