November 2006 (PDF) - Antigravity Magazine

PROJECTIONS Since he burst on the scenewith 2000’s best fi lm,the mind-bending Memento,Christopher Nolan hasestablished himself as oneof Hollywood’s premierdirectors. Most recently,Nolan helmed last year’sfranchise re-launch, BatmanBegins, and turned in one ofthe best superhero fi lms evermade. He has an uncannyknack for breathing fresh air into the somewhat stale suspensegenre, while remembering to stay focused on his charactersand not simply his plot twists (a lesson that would serve theoverwrought M. Night Shyamalan well), and Nolan’s skill set isput to good use in his latest, The Prestige.Written by Nolan and his brother, Jonathan, The Prestigeis a riveting tale of rival magicians who become consumedwith revenge. Set in turn of the century London, the film is anintelligent, thought-provoking study in obsession.Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden(Christian Bale) are two magician’s understudies, learning thetrade from Cutter (Michael Caine). When Borden accidentallykills Angiers’ lover during a trick, the stage is set for the twomen’s lifelong rivalry. Over the years, as they each grow moreadept at the art of illusion, the two attempt to sabotage eachother’s lives and careers in a bitter contest of one-upmanship,which seems to consume the totality of their existence.The performances in The Prestige are uniformly excellent.Bale simmers as the brash and angry Borden, a man whosefamily life is eroding due to his all-consuming drive to be agreat magician. This is Bale’s best work since American Psycho.Bale’s co-star, Jackman, is equally as engaging as a man drivenby revenge. Initially, Jackman is the more wholesome of thetwo and the lengths to which Angier is eventually driven areastonishing. And Jackman has a nice little comedic turn in thefi lm which garnered multiple big laughs from the audience.One fi nal note—I’m not the sort of viewer who figures outa fi lm’s shocking revelations ahead of time, but The Prestige’ssecrets are surprisingly easy to surmise. So much so that Iwondered if the movie telegraphed them on purpose. I wasdiscussing this with some friends, however, and we all agreedthat easily surmising the ending didn’t affect our opinion ofthe fi lm negatively at all. Each of us still thought it was great.The Prestige is brooding and lush and it keeps your mindworking for the entirety of its running time. It’s on the shortlist of the most entertaining films of 2006.—James Jonesantigravity: your new orleans music and culture alternative_25