Rating of
3/4
The Illusionist review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 10/03/11
Eisenheim the Illusionist (born Eduard Abramovich) falls for Duchess von Teschen (Jessica Biel). There forbidden relationship due to social class has been a problem for them. Chief Inspector Walter Uhl (Paul Giamatti) tries to solve the murder of the Duchess. Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell) tries to shut down the shows of Eisenheim. It had some funny moments and the cinematography was elegant. Unfortunately, the screenplay wasn't that convincing. The role of Norton just didn't stretch his abilities and Biel's character just wasn't that interesting. Some nice quotes: Eisenheim - "From the moment we enter this life, we are in the flow of it [the time]. We measure it and we mark it, but we cannot defy it. We cannot even speed it up or slow it down. Or can we ? Have we not each experienced the sensation… that a beautiful moment seemed to pass too quickly… and wished that we could make it linger ? Or felt time slow on a dull day… and wished that we could speed things up a bit ?" Overall, a fun mystery with a touch of drama and decent twist that is more realistic than the Prestige.
