Film Review: "The Prestige"

Christopher Nolan is a craftsman, knowing how to structure a story through characters, themes, and dialogue to form a work of art. This has been demonstrated numerous times, from Inception to Batman Begins, and it's on full display in The Prestige. I saw this film in theaters, and may have seen it again at some point. Given my poor memory, I forgot much of it, although I remembered the major twists. What strikes me when watching it now is how well-structured the story is around the two main characters. Both magicians, but with very different lifestyles. One is dedicated to his art, true devotion. The other is dedicated to success, true obsession. Borden lived a half life, hurting those around him in order to ensure his art succeeds. Angier, however, became so obsessed with outdoing Borden, he was willing to risk his own life night after night.

Jackman and Bale played their roles so well, but they were also served by excellent material. The little hints throughout the story, such as when Borden's hand was rebleeding, or the subtle changed in the way he acted towards his wife, was a sleight of hand, a trick played on the audience. It is fascinating watching this film with knowledge of the twists. It's almost a wholly different perspective, you see the subtle differences, the tricks. Most of them, at least, as I still missed a few.


It's based on a novel, a novel which takes the forms of letters written by the magicians, probably akin to the journals used in the film. According to the Wikipedia summary, however, the story takes a different turn at the end, here. I really like the Nolan brothers' use of dialogue, how it bookends the film. Is the as same thing he did so successfully in Batman Begins.


I've often considered Tarantino my favorite director, but Nolan may be my favorite now. There are some Tarantino films I just don't enjoy, like Jackie Brown or Death Proof. I have to reevaluate Insomnia, but otherwise I like Nolan's films a lot, my disappointment in The Dark Knight Rises notwithstanding.


The Prestige is a truly beautiful film. Obsession is an fruitless path, a series of hats that won't fit. Devotion to what you love most takes true sacrifice. As a film fan, I used to think that I had to love looking at cinematography, editing, and so on. While I do enjoy those things, my love for film comes from the use of the medium to tell a good, thematically deep, character-centric story that simultaneously transports you from this world, but helps you relate to it as well. And a movie like The Prestige sort of embodies what I love about film so much.

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