Rating of
3.5/4
nolan takes the prestige
sreekirch - wrote on 02/19/12
The best part comes where screenwriting develops a kind of illusion or confusion in the mind of viewers to make it a perfect puzzle that sticks in the viewer’s mind. The worst part is that the puzzle is way too complicated left with small unnoticeable hints. Probably Mr. Nolan wants the viewers to go again for it and make the movie a box office success. This is inspired by a novel (by Christopher Priest) which has a deep emotional drama towards the end. Touch stone pictures and Warner Bros distributed the movie. I can say that I had to feel happy about how well the movie ended creating a puzzle in minds of audience. The Prestige is not a popcorn flick but it has a deep story to tell and well versed characters to perform and show a tricky magic.
Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Bordon (Christian Bale) are two well versed magicians (turned rivals after a disaster that strikes their friendship) working with Cutter (Michael Caine) do some extra ordinary tricks to win the heart of viewers. Borden gets separated and starts his own tricks. He discovers a trick called, the transporter man and Angier wants to find his secret and outcast him. He sends his assistant Olivia (Scarlett Johansson) to spy his work and bring the tricks. She gives him a book of Borden which has a key to unlock the secret. He becomes so obsessed that he wants to take revenge on Borden. Now he goes on a journey that can be life threatening to Borden and also himself. The movie begins with Mr. Caine telling three parts of magic trick to a small girl and showing Angier doing a dreadful magic trick who falls into a big tank of water as Borden watches. The third part called the Prestige is a real issue here. Who gets the prestige is it Borden or Angier? Mr. Nolan has done a perfect job in opening the movie in such a fashion. With a runtime of 130 minutes, movie has a compelling plot to follow and also a serious magic trick to fool. The Prestige is well settled with 110 minutes of story and last 10 minutes of terrific but confusing screenwriting. Last frame has a surprise for sure. I did not find any scene dragging. I was waiting for the answer of the movie. Seriously speaking if one cannot understand the last 10 minutes the whole movie would have been a magic trick. To find the secret I had nearly watched the last minutes at least thrice and follow the dialogs. Still I am in dilemma. Movie is way too far complicated. That’s where Nolan did a mistake. Only fast graspers can understand this. For others it is just like a spoil sport.
Hugh jackman plays Robert Angier. He was really believable in the role. He has given a remarkable performance. Christian bale plays Borden a natural magician. He had strength in the movie and did quite perform exceptionally well. His dialog delivery and body language is really believable. Bale and Jackman together have the perfect combinational power to the drive the movie. Michael Caine plays Cutter a person who designs the equipments to perform real time magic tricks. He had a great scope in the movie though being supportive movie needed him. Scarlett Johansson and Piper Perabo played equally an important role and did support well.
My word: Extremely complicated script with a science fiction backdrop. It has some clues left as usual by Nolan and the answers come at the end. Think twice watch thrice and then say that Nolan was great in creating a science fiction movie which may be only partly.
