Review 2: The Prestige

The Prestige (2006)

Director: Christopher Nolan

Cast:

Hugh Jackman - Robert Angier

Christian Bale - Alfred Borden

Michael Caine - Cutter

Piper Perabo - Julia McCullough

Rebecca Hall - Sarah Borden

Scarlett Johansson - Olivia Wenscombe

Synopsis: 

 The Prestige is a 2006 British-American mystery thriller film written, directed and co-produced by Christopher Nolan, with a screenplay adapted from Christopher Priest's 1995 novel of the same name. The story follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century. Obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, they engage in competitive one-upmanship with tragic results.

Review:

The Prestige is a film that from the first minute gives the viewer an opportunity to plunge into the world of magic tricks, secrets, rivalry and intrigue. It needs to say that prestige is the final part of the trick, when the viewer realizes that he had been deceived, but may not realize how the magician did it.

The film takes us to London at end of the nineteenth century, when the illusionist tricks had been one of the main amusements for people. And Alfred Borden and Robert Endzheyr were one of them. They started to work together under the instruction of Cutter, were friends, but the world was a far more dangerous, and their friendship grew into a rivalry and rivalry turned into hostility. During the whole film we watch to what their rivalry led and who survived at last. 

I can't but mention about the cast. It was really tremendeous and impressive. Throughout the film you can't understand to whom of the main characters you sympathize more. Watching the film, we can see how they are trying to ruin each other's lives, but they just want to prove that one is better than another. Having lost the wife, Jackman's hero no longer feels love and regret, he was obsessed with fame, with a desire to be the best magician. Alfred (Bale) was closer to me, but in some moment I couldn't understand his changeable mood: one day he tends his wife every need, and on the other - he was with his assistant (Johansson), but brilliant ending sheds light on secrets. Of course, nice and old magician by Michael Caine, who has been on the side of Robert (Jackman) for a long time, but after a while, he realizes that Robert is obsessed with fame and already had forgotten about any worths.

I was really impressed by this film not only because of the great play of the actors but also because this film makes us to think over our actions. They say: 'Score twice before you cut once'. So sometimes, may be, even better to give up once, even if you have a great goal. Obviously, this film leaves much room for meditation.