The Prestige

UK Release Date. 10 November 2006
Certification. 12A
Running Time. 2 hours 10 mins
Director. Christopher Nolan
Cast. Christian Bale, David Bowie, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Andy Serkis.
Rating. 88%

Review.

I opened my review of Christopher Nolan's Insomnia by posing the question, "Is Insomnia Christopher Nolan's most overlooked and underrated film?" Well, if it isn't Insomnia, then it must surely be The Prestige.

The Prestige was Christopher Nolan's first venture into period drama. Based loosely on a novel by Christopher Priest, The Prestige tells the story of two ambitious young stage magicians and their obsession to deliver the most spectacular version of an illusion London has ever seen. Victorian London is the most perfect setting for The Prestige. Set at a time when magic was very much a fascination amongst the masses and a popular form of entertainment. 

The two illusionists - Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) - embark on a bitter, escalating feud following a tragic, on-stage accident. Christopher Nolan's great skill is to make the audience empathise with both of these selfish, single-minded and, ultimately, unlikeable characters at different points in the storyline.

The Prestige opens with an intriguing image of dozens of discarded top hats and the opening gambit, "Are you watching closely?" With this being a Christopher Nolan film this is very much a hint at the events to come. Stage engineer, John Cutter (Michael Caine) then explains the three ubiquitous components of a magic trick and the significance of the film's title.  

The Prestige shares a broken chronology common to much of Nolan's other work. In truth, the opening five minutes reveals the entire story. The film is a slow-burn, but gripping page-turning mystery with an inordinate amount of plot twists. The first time I watched The Prestige I never saw the final twist coming, despite the many breadcrumbs left throughout the film. I genuinely believe The Prestige should be considered one of Christopher Nolan's finest films.