The Prestige
2006 Directed by Christopher Nolan
Synopsis
Are You Watching Closely?
A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.
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"Are you watching closely?" - Alfred Borden
Yeah...so, this is the film that had me all the way. It's sublime. It's one of the most intelligent films I've ever seen. It's got my mind working in over-drive. I'm over-heating. I can't say anything at all about this to people who haven't seen it, so I'll just babble on critically...
Everyone, and I mean everyone, is at the top of their game here. Particularly Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale. Their roles as hero and villain, protagonist and antagonist are constantly shifting between them, as they're both as equally flawed as one another. At first, they both look like they're horrifically uncomfortable in their roles with their foreign accents, but it doesn't…
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After the disappointment of The Dark Knight Rises I wanted to revisit Nolan at his best. Whilst the film’s narrative structure is fragmented, much like the elusive puzzle at the heart of the story, it is deftly plotted where each component is revealed to fit neatly together and create a satisfying whole. The brilliance of the film is that it reveals everything to the audience at the very beginning. It tells you exactly how the trick is achieved early on, you just need to be paying attention. Yet, despite knowing how every twist and turn will play out the film still rewards repeated viewings which is very rare for this type of film. The twists are never cheap, they are…
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Christopher Nolan gives us a Victorian mystery thriller with almost as many twists and turns as his previous effort Memento. Played to perfection by an excellent cast of some of the finest actors around Nolan steps out from behind more famous directors shadows.
Christian Bale,Hugh Jackman,Scarlett Johansson,Michael Caine,Rebbecca Hall and Andy Serkis provide real class to a polished and innovative script that draws you in from the start.
A story of obsession and betrayal this ticks all the boxes as rivalry between 19th century magicians takes a dark and dangerous path. A complex plot that explores obsession with a sci-fi twist this is a stunning piece of film-making that will leave you shocked and stunned by it's climax. Cracking. -
This is one of that rare movies that just improves each time you see it. Even when all the secrets are known, there is still immense pleasure in watching everything play out. Are you watching closely?
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‘The Prestige’ created remarkably captivating and gripping performances by Bale, Jackman and Caine fulfilling the roles and succeeding the story-line perfectly of the rivalry between two magicians being exacerbated when one of them performs the ultimate illusion. I felt this was an undeniably astounding plot that accommodated the spectator with immense fascination and enthrallment. A little sceptical of the court case as an overall perspective; although they explained the entire story in full detail, they should have depicted the judgement or verdict that was enforced upon Alfred Borden and why the decision was made. But for me, each and every element and component of the film fashioned a sense of realism and sincerity from each actor, creating a mere beautiful film, yet still being very spiteful and malicious. Quintessential Nolan, providing an aberrant yet terrific production.
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Twists made right, so many clues. Nolan's best movie so far.
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For a moment there, I thought this might be my favorite Nolan, but this go-through made the movie seem repetitive and overly stiff. Close, but no cigar.
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One of Christopher Nolan's Best.
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enjoyable on several levels. nice.
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Entretenida
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I actually hadn't seen this since I saw it in the theatre in 2006, when I liked it but was also very confused at the end (which is the point). I always meant to rent and re-visit it, but then I saw an $8.00 Blu Ray at Target over the weekend and figured it was worth it. I was definitely right.
An engrossing narrative that involves the long-running (and ultimately deadly and tragic) feud between two magicians obsessively dedicated to their craft, THE PRESTIGE is part mystery, part thriller, and part drama (all without fully committing to any of those genres). It is also quite like a magic trick itself, and almost TOO intelligent for its own good. Like a…
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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Massively underrated movie. Seemed like just a stop gap between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but I hope this movie gets a long life on dvd.
It's a movie about the original visual effects people; magicians. And it works great as such.
These magicians being precursors to filmmakers in many ways.
Great cast, one of the few times in the last decade Christian Bale's been allowed to use his own voice for a film role.
David Bowie stands out..... as usual as Nikola Tesla. Only Nolan would cast David Bowie.... as Nikola Tesla in a film.
Hugh Jackman's strongest non-Wolvie performance, as well.
And nobody shoots a movie quite like Wally Pfister. His movies just look.... superb.
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Like all films that have a twist ending, the finale to The Prestige seems painfully obvious upon second viewing. But it was my first Nolan film, so it will always hold a near and dear place to my heart as a gateway to becoming the critically-thinking filmgoer that I (perhaps somewhat pretentiously) like to think of myself as today.
Besides, it's still an enjoyable mood piece about two utterly despicable men both of whom, frankly, you kind of want to see fail. Here's hoping that Nolan gives a dark drama like this from time to time in between the action-thrillers he seems to be committed to these days.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.