GREAT SELECTION: The Prestige (2006)

As Cutter (Michael Caine), the stage engineer, recites build-up dialogue to magic tricks in general, he reveals this:

"Every magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called 'The Pledge'. The magician shows you something ordinary; a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you the object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course...it probably isn't. The second act is called 'The Turn'. The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret...but you won't find it, because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call 'The Prestige'".

This interior monologue sets up the movie in a very clever way because Caine's character and director Christopher Nolan instructs you to pay close attention to character development, the story and the magic act which is the movie. I think it is a brilliant set-up as to how magic works and how magicians work behind-the-scenes as to how to structure both the act and its payoff cleverly. What Nolan provides for us, the audience, is a blue-print as how each character is set up on stage especially the two leading characters. Remember, pay attention.

Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman.

Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Borden (Christian Bale) work for Milton the Magician alongside Cutter and Julia (Piper Perabo), Milton's assistant and Angier's wife. When a tragedy strikes surrounding an act regarding a water tank act, Angier and Borden fuel a deep-seated grudge as Borden is questioned as to what kind of knot he tied since he does not remember. Both go their separate ways.

Both have a rivalry with two different acts as they both try to sabotage one another. Angie has another assistant, Olivia Wenscombe (Scarlett Johansson) and Cutter as his ingenieur. He becomes "The Great Danton" as his bird-cage act becomes a hit until a disguised Borden cripples his reputation. Borden launches his magic career as he becomes "The Professor" which he hires a silent character and marries a woman named Sarah (Rebecca Hall). His bullet catch trick does get ruined by Angier as he is disguised, which sever two of Borden's fingers.

Borden's understated trick, 'The Transported Man' is being a hit as he travels between two wardrobes on opposite ends of the stage. Angier becomes too obsessed with this magic act as he hires somebody to become his stunt double as he dies. But what adds on to the puzzle is Borden's contradictory nature to defeat Angier as Angier sends Olivia to spy on him but she becomes a part of her act and then an affair ensues. Once, the act goes too far, consequences will heighten one's ability over another to tragically cease their live physically and emotionally.

How far can this act go?

This is a very tricky movie to figure out especially in the third act as we find out what is going on with both of these character and their motives. It is especially required to view the movie twice because you have to fully understand how each scene is deciphered and how it interweaves with the beginning of the movie which we realize that Jackman is playing the successful magician as Bale is investigating what the magic trick and pay-off is. It is a sort of cover-up is to what we will be left to believe who will be the last one laughing, as one might say.

The themes surrounds obsession, secrecy and tragedy as one is ultimately obsessed with triumph over another. It is not a "good vs. evil" story as both lose precious commodities and ones they love as depression lingers one of them and the impact persuades one character to fully commit the other character to fail. It is a great mirror image of another movie which deals with those themes that parallels another rivalry and that is the great movie, Amadeus, as both lose something precious over their obsession with music and how they can be the best composer. Both Jackman's and Bale's characters want to be best magicians in London.

I want to give a shout-out to David Bowie as Nikola Tesla, a real-life inventor helping Angier out with the transportation advice. He is quite restrained and quietly charismatic. Andy Serkis also is real good as his assistant, especially in a scene with a demonstration of many lightbulbs glowing on the ground. Wally Pfister's cinematography is on-point in that scene and throughout the whole movie as their obsession embodies the dark power surrounding almost every character leading to an ultimate tragedy. This is not one of Nolan's best movies because of pacing issues and a few too many scenes that wants to trick you. But, ultimately, I do prefer this movie a little over The Illusionist, another movie surrounding magic with Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti and Jessica Biel that came out the same year which is also good. The Prestige is a psychological look at magic that will keep you guessing until the final scene.

"Now you're looking for the secret...but you won't find it, because of course, you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled."