"It's so good you'll want to see it twice, both to catch all the clues you may have missed the first time around and to enjoy the overall brilliance of the film itself."
"Every great magic trick consists of three acts. The first act is called 'The Pledge': The magician shows you something ordinary, but of course, it probably isn't. The second act is called 'The Turn': The magician makes his ordinary something do something extraordinary. Now if you're looking for the secret, you won't find it, that's why there's a third act called, 'The Prestige':This is the part with the twists and turns, where lives hang in the balance, and you see something shocking you've never seen before."
These words were uttered by Michael Caine's character Cutter in "The Prestige," defining the characteristics of a great magic trick, and befitting the overall theme of this powerful film.
"The Prestige" is a tale of rival magicians at the turn of the century, whose former partnership soon transforms into a bitter rivalry, which in itself turns deadly, in more ways than one.
Hugh Jackman plays the American Rupert Angier, a clever and dedicated magician who wears his heart on his sleeve and hides his tricks not far from it. Angier will stop at nothing to be the greatest magician in London, even employing some unethical and revolutionary practices to get there. Jackman's acting is spot-on, fitting in seamlessly with the genius of Michael Caine and the always-inspiring Christian Bale.
Bale plays Alfred Borden, Angier's British counterpart and lifelong rival. Borden's lust for success and power parallels his adversary's, and he refuses to be one-upped by Angier's illustrious tricks. Bale never fails to impress, and his acting lives up to the caliber his fans have come to expect.
The cast is rounded out by the glorious Caine and the stunning Scarlet Johansson, who is normally hit-or-miss, but is surprisingly terrific here. With superb acting and an excellent story adapted from the original novel by Christopher Priest, "The Prestige" will dazzle you with its magic and make you wrack your brain while trying to figure out the secrets. The rivalry between Angier and Borden will make you yearn to find out which charming mastermind will end up on top.
While "The Prestige" is filled with enough twists, turns and surprises to keep even the most action-minded moviegoers on the edge of their seats, its subtle humor, stark imagery and emotional subplots will satisfy everyone else. It's so good you'll want to see it twice, both to catch all the clues you may have missed the first time around and to enjoy the overall brilliance of the film itself.
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"A vividly crafted and cunning whodunit." ByJulian Roman
"The Prestige is gothically twisted yet romanticized with its Victorian backdrops and powerful performances. Lives hang in the balance, obsessions control your every move and you will get your money's worth - witnessing something that is sure to shock and amaze." ByAdam Frazier
"Christopher Nolan Gives Us A Tense And Suspenseful Thriller But The Film Is More About The Magic, Not The Characters" ByKaya Savas
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