The Prestige Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)October 27th, 2006
Mild Applause for ~{!0~}The Prestige~{!1~}
>From an early exposition, we learn what The Prestige actually is. As it is explained,
~{!0~}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 is 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.~{!1~}
With wise insight from a person who helps to
construct and choreograph the magic tricks
(Michael Caine), it~{!/~}s clear that an amazing amount of thought goes into the development of a
magic trick. As early 20th century magic is concerned, it is a merry-go-round of trap doors, spring-loaded locks, and hidden mechanical
equipment. The secrets are carefully guarded,
and I liked how one of the magicians employs
blind stagehands to keep secrets from prying
eyes. While the conceptualization and the
execution of the trick can be managed, the egos
that blow out of control can~{!/~}t. And the
vicious rivalry that emerges between two very
good magicians is the focus of this film.
This isn~{!/~}t about people pulling bunnies out
of a top hat. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman
play Alfred Borden and Robert Angier. Once
friends and colleagues, a defining moment hurls
them into a blood feud, and both will stop at
nothing to one-up, humiliate, and even hurt each other. Bale plays his character with dark,
brooding intensity as if he never let go of his ~{!0~}Batman Returns~{!1~} character. As Borden,
he appears to be the better magician, thanks to
his signature trick, the Transported Man, in
which he enters a door on the left side of the
stage and then instantaneously appears on the
right side of the stage. Angier, meanwhile, is a
man of desperation and loss, who would sell his
soul to the Devil if he could to attain
dominance. But his obsession begins to yield disastrous consequences on his emotional psyche. It~{!/~}s hard to identify with these types of
people and part of the unattractiveness is that
you never really like either of these two.
Adding some needed electricity, though, to the somewhat glum story is David Bowie and Andy
Serkis, who play inventor Nikola Tesla and his assistant, respectively. These two aid the
magicians in their quest to perfect a
cutting-edge idea, where lives will hang in the balance and you will see something shocking
you've never seen before.
I did appreciate the period setting and the
strong performances of the cast. This film has a decidedly classy look and feel. However, it didn~{!/~}t seem like a lot of fun. Yes, it is well-crafted and delivers the pledge, turn, and prestige with confidence. And admittedly, the
Big Reveal is surprising, intelligently
conceived, and less opaque than the other turn-of-the-century film about a magician.
However, the Big Secret (which I won~{!/~}t
reveal) learned during the Big Reveal seems like
a Big Cheat. And in a moment that it would take
to make a card disappear, I went from admiring
the film to merely nodding my head with hesitant approval. I liked the Pledge. I liked the Turn.
I~{!/~}m undecided about The Prestige.
Grade: B-
S: 1 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3
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