In the beginning of the 20th century in London, two magicians vie to create the most spectacular illusions. Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) comes from an aristocratic family, and he feigns an American accent and background to avoid embarrassing his family with his stage ambitions. His rival is Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), who comes from more humble beginnings. After the death of Angier's wife, the two magicians become enemies because Angier suspects Borden's role in her death. Over the years, the two men create more and more spectacular illusions, culminating in 'The Transported Man'.
The story, based on a novel of the same title by Christopher Priest, is told in two parallel threads. In one thread, Borden is facing the gallows for murder of Angier, is told from the perspective of Borden and Angier's illusion engineer, Cutter (Michael Caine). The other stream traces the careers of the two magicians and their escalating rivalry.
Writer-director Christopher Nolan and writer Jonathan Nolan structure their film like a magic trick, where the audience is drawn into the trick (the promise), the expected happens (the turn) and a surprise is revealed at the end (the prestige). However, they have provided only sketchy information about the two protagonists, which makes it hard to understand the origin and depth of their animosity, and also reduces the impact of the climax. For science fiction fans, one unexpected delight is the appearance of electrical engineer Nikolai Tesla (David Bowie) who provides Angier with a device for the ultimate illusion.
3 out of 5 stars.
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