The Illusionist is about a magician who is in love with the emperor’s girlfriend. A rivalry ensues between these men and the chief inspector is caught between this fight. The Prestige is not a rivalry between emperor and magician but between two magicians. As the film unfolds, betrayal and death surround these men.
Both of these films have great twists in the end in which none of them could be predicted the first time through. The screenplays were fantastically written, both written by the director of the films. The films have many clues that are not obvious when first seen. A clever person could catch a few things coming, but the clues were so well hidden that they would not be obvious until the ending comes. And both of these films require two viewings and not just one.
The acting is also well done. Edward Norton (The Incredible Hulk, Italian Job), Paul Giamatti (John Adams, Cinderella Man), and Rufus Sewell (A Knight’s Tale, Amazing Grace) were tremendous in The Illusionist. Giamatti in particular was very good with a nice accent. And Edward Norton is always reliable for a good performance. In The Prestige, Hugh Jackman (X-Men, Kate and Leopold), Christian Bale (Batman Begins, Terminator: Salvation), and many others were so well cast in this film, I applaud Christopher Nolan. From Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings) to David Bowie to Michael Caine, these actors did a great job at portraying their respective roles.
Other things I liked were the costume design and production design. In period pieces like this, it is so important for detail. If any scene looks wrong, then everything will start to fall apart. Detail is always essential in period films and many forget that these costumes have to be made from scratch. And in production design (that is the set design), all of the props need to be made and placed in the proper place. The set has to be accurate to the time. This all may sound very obvious, but it is not easy, and both of these films do brilliantly at this very thing.
In conclusion, see both of these films. If you had to pick, see The Prestige, only because it is the more complex of the two.
Next time: Dead Poets Society and The Emperor’s Club.
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