It all begins in rapidly changing, turn-of-the-century London. At a time when magicians are idols and celebrities of the highest order, two young magicians set out to carve their own paths to fame. The flashy, sophisticated Robert Angier is a consummate entertainer, while the rough-edged purist Alfred Borden is a creative genius who lacks the panache to showcase his magical ideas. They start out as admiring friends and partners. But when their biggest trick goes terribly awry, they become enemies for life--each intent on outdoing and upending the other. Trick by trick, show by show, their ferocious competition builds until it knows no bounds, even utilizing the fantastical new powers of electricity and the scientific brilliance of radical inventor Nikola Tesla--while the lives of everyone around them hang in the balance.

I think the best magic trick the movie might have pulled on me was the uncertainty in whether I was smart by getting most of the plot twists before they revealed them or if that’s exactly what the film makers wanted me to do, solve the riddle before it unravels. There was one secret I was unable to completely unravel before the final unveiling but that was just in the logistics in how it was done not in figuring out the secret itself. I even had the secret long before they dropped a hint so big it was like an anvil from a WB cartoon came plummeting out of the sky. Some of the other secrets were painfully obvious as the movie continued to drop hints and waited for you to put two and two together. If you still didn’t get it at that point it dropped even larger hints and then if you still didn’t get it they explained it to you in slow and painful detail. I think it would have been fun to end the movie in a completely ambiguous manner, the secrets were laid out before you lets skip the full unveiling and see how many people get it. Then again Hollywood plays to the lowest common denominator and that might not have gone over very well with mister average viewer although it would have made me very happy but then again I am not the average viewer.

Despite all the twists and turns and all the secrets and tricks the movie is simply at its base a tale of one man holding a grudge over another for an accident that was only party his fault. That’s a pretty good storyline right there as Bale and Jackman slug it out in battle after battle to see who can one up the other and maybe do a little harm to their opposition as they do it. This lead to obsession and eventually plotted revenge and makes for great drama. If you weren’t drawn in by the fun and magic of the movie in it’s tricks and turns the movie does offer that fantastic drama to keep you occupied in the meantime.

Christopher Nolan is a mastermind, he may be one of the most underrated directors in Hollywood but that fact looks like it might change since he has now made some main stream fantastic movies. He has this dark and gritty style that submerses you into his movies and a world that doesn’t seem so painted and fantastic like many directors would like to make it. His movies are like taking a stroll in real life and reality, like wandering into the worst parts of LA or London in the middle of the night. You have to love that feel and realism his movie have, they are not happy stories they seem more like true stories.

If you were to ask me of the two main actors who my favorite was between Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale I would almost always pick Bale but not so in the Prestige as I was more impressed my Jackman. He has this intensity, this vibe, this hatred that Bale seems to be missing. I mean this is a spirited rivalry and much like his character Bale never seems to react to it or be a part of it as he floats through a lot of the scenes with an impartialness that I don’t think befits the character. When he is off stage he shows plenty of emotion and angst striving against circumstances that seem to be out of his control. But without giving away any secrets this may have been the intention of the movie because on stage he is one person and off he is another, that makes me wonder if I am reading into the movie too much or if they want me to do so. I mean even after they give away everything you can still find yourself scratching your head wondering if that’s what they meant you to see, like a skilled magician pulling the wool over your eyes.

Grade: B+