The Prestige (US 2006 & India 2007)

“Every great magic trick consists of three acts. The first act is called "The Pledge"; The magician shows you something ordinary, but of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn"; The magician makes his ordinary some thing do something extraordinary. Now if you're looking for the secret... you won't find it, that's why there's a third act called, "The Prestige"; this is the part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it because you're not really looking. You don't really want to know the secret...”

“You want to be fooled.”
- Cutter (Michael Caine) - excerpt from the movie

Since his inspired debut film 'Memento', British director Christopher Nolan has consistently delivered on the promise and potential he displayed in abundance with his first feature. After last years bold re-imagining of 'Batman Begins', he delivers this audacious and dark character driven thriller which delves into the murky magical practices of two aspiring magicians and fierce rivals in Victorian London. The result is a film of dizzying brilliance.

After a daring stunt involving both magicians tragically goes awry, the two men, Robert (Jackman) and Alfred (Bale) acrimoniously part company, with Robert accusing his former accomplice of a serious crime. Neither is deterred by the tragedy, and both separately pursue careers as magicians but with a difficult obstacle to overcome to find success – each other. The two become one another’s bitter nemeses, stooping to ever more devious and cruel attempts to sabotage the others stage show and reputation. As their mutual hatred intensifies, so does their determination to outwit the other, leading them to find evermore enigmatic methods which could potentially bring fame and success to the one, whilst devastating the others career and life.

Given the visual wonders modern special effects can produce, it’s a surprise that this, a film based around the theme of magic, isn’t a whiz-pop, fast pace CGI bonanza. The Prestige is something far more interesting: a medium burn, intelligent piece of work, powered by a captivating character struggle, with a cleverly constructed, confounding narrative that is spellbindingly intriguing throughout, before building to a dazzling and spectacularly twisted climax. The bold tricks pulled off by the two magicians, are overshadowed by the astounding and dumbfounding conjuring conducted by Nolan behind the lens. The director cunningly draws your attention to the cold and callous game of one-up-man-ship the two leads are engaged in; all the time concealing the assured sleight of hand direction and ultra shrewd plot turns going on in the highly sophisticated narrative. The plot undergoes more shuffles than a veteran magician’s lucky deck o’ cards, constantly shifting and morphing to perplex the audience; plot turns and story development come shrouded in mystery - veiled in secrecy, leaving you uncertain as to the true origins of the pairs magical methods - as well as doubtful as to which one of the two has the upper hand. It’s an exciting, suspenseful style that remains ambivalent until the sucker punch finale. The music throughout the movie mesmerizes the very soul and the song that begins when the credits begin to roll seems so correct, that I’m sure anyone who enjoyed this movie would be humming it for days.

Nolan’s ambition is complemented by the two leads who make the character driven plot so deeply engaging. Both Jackman and Bale give their characters multifaceted personas, remaining mesmerizing and fascinating on screen figures. Jackman - burying the horrible memories of Van Helsing – is on career best form. Robert, an American, is the more charismatic of the two magicians, and Jackman initially charms, before revealing the sinister obsessive tendencies and torment behind the onstage showmanship. Bale supplies an earthy, roguish, quintessentially British charm, disguising the characters calculated persona - as well as the bravado of his act - under a detached nonchalant demeanour. Come the final third, when the plot explodes with dramatics, the two characters have been realised with so many layers that you simply are no longer able to work out their capabilities or predict their actions – just like all good magicians. Original and inventive throughout, Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige surpasses all expectations. You’ll be transfixed by the dangerous games played by the two central characters, riveted by the outstanding performances, bewildered by Nolan’s tricky, daring and imaginative plotting and, when all is finally revealed, smacked by a tense and sensational finale.

NOTE : This is a wonderful movie, but to understand it, you have to listen to the dialogue carefully. Otherwise, you might be scratching your head in the end.

RATING : 8.5/10
SPEND OR SAVE : SPEND (FOR ALL)

(The Spend or Save tag is a suggestion for all moviegoers to either spend their money on a ticket or save the money for a better movie. If the movie is to be seen by only a specific set of people who like such movies, then we mention SPEND(specific set of people). Here, I have mentioned SPEND (FOR ALL) meaning all of you should watch this movie.)