Movie Review: The Prestige

Fangirls everywhere, rejoice: Wolverine (the multi-talented Hugh Jackman, who can also sing and dance--we saw him in Oklahoma! once on stage on London) and Batman (Christian Bale, who can brood, and also brood) are together in a movie at last.

Everyone else should rejoice too, though, because The Prestige is one of the smartest, most engaging big-studio pictures to hit theaters in recent months. And clocking in at significantly more than two hours, it better be. Directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento), the twisty plot involves duelling magicians, Robert Angier (a totally engaging Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale, in a charming and chilling performance), in fin de siecle London. Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson are in there too, as a builder of magic illusions and a gorgeous magician's assistant. Guess which one's which.

It's hard to know who's side you're on, as the shifting motivations and loyalties of the two protaganists become ever more intense. Both actors turn in masterful performances: Jackman's obvious from the beginning, Bale more as the movie goes on. Johansson, who's serene beauty (and distractingly dark eyebrows) add eyecandy, is under-used and under-written, but newcomer Rebecca Hall (as Bale's put-upon wife, Sarah) steals the show--she's a real talent (with only 7 credits to her name on IMDB, no less!).
As you'd expect from a Nolan movie, all is not exactly what you'd expect in the world of The Prestige. Our advice, as with any magician, is simple: watch the hands.

Are you watching closely?

Grade: A