The Prestige DVD: Review By Shelley

It is apparent from my profile that I am a fan of Hugh Jackman. But make no mistake; this is an excellent film regardless of the fact that Hugh is one of the lead actors. Both Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale give equally commanding performances. I have heard several complaints about the ‘accents’ and to be honest, I do not understand that at all. I do not believe any of the actors involved were speaking with any type of ‘fake’ accent.

The film has an interesting and appealing story; set in the late 19th century two rival magicians with a past trying to outdo each other and the lengths they will go to in order to accomplish this. Twists in this story of all consuming obsession keeps the film fresh from beginning to end. I do not think it had a predictable ending either. Yes you may figure it out beforehand, but it is not so obvious that you become bored with the film.

The main cast consists of Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansen, Michael Caine and David Bowie. All were well cast in their parts and none give disappointing performances. Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins) directed the film and stays true to form by bringing us this one of the best movies of 2006. He also wrote the screenplay with Jonathan Nolan, his brother, and they took a basic story and added layer upon layer resulting in a complex character study of two men who started out as friends and ended up mortal enemies. The movie is dark but beautifully filmed, the darkness just adds to the atmosphere of the movie.

If you want a different, entertaining and well acted film, I highly recommend The Prestige. It is a movie that you cannot watch just once so if you rent it at first you will probably end up buying it. I believe it makes a great addition to any collection.

Thanks for reading.