Magic seems like it would have been most exciting before the turn of the twentieth century- a time when there were no cars, no airplanes, no movies, and no internet. The tricks conjured up by magicians must have seemed more real and awe-inspiring than they do today. Their audiences weren’t desensitized by the media that now constantly floods the minds of every American. I’m not saying that magic shows aren’t fun anymore, because they most certainly can be. Sadly, the shows have lost their significance in the entertainment world and are generally relegated to places like Las Vegas or hour long television specials.
Action scenes in films with CGI and special effects are now passed off as modern day wizardry, until one watches the making of documentary featured on most DVD/Blu Rays. Once the tricks are revealed, the magic vanishes into thin air. It is as if the trick were obvious from the beginning. Nothing more than a fancy parlor trick. The viewer is left with the faint gasp of intrigue, the mind vaguely remembering how special it looked on film before knowing how the magic was achieved. For a magician, their deceptions are meaningless without the coveted secrets behind them.
The Prestige successfully reveals its secrets in a way that changes everything you thought you knew about the film, thus creating new exhilarating conundrums to ponder once the credits roll. It is rare to be completely thrown off guard while watching a film and The Prestige is one of those films that I felt I had figured out. Then it flipped itself on its head with an abundance of twists and turns. I was struggling to keep up and patiently waiting with a huge smile plastered on my face as all the pieces fell into place, revealing the truth behind the character’s tricks and lives. The magic was overwhelming (in a good way) as it went from entertainment to tragedy, and finally to a struggle between two magicians who one-up the other and ultimately destroy each other’s lives.
The Prestige successfully blends the genres of drama, period film, science fiction, and suspense thriller into one glorious achievement of cinema. It plays you, the viewer, the whole entire time, like any good magician should. The film introduces the pledge, followed by the ever-intriguing turn, and completely astonishes the audience with a bold and unforeseen prestige.
SPOILER ALERT: The rest of the review touches on key elements of the film, including how it ends. If you have yet to see the film or do not wish to know its intimate details, cease reading immediately.
For most of the film, it is evident that Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) is this complex individual who is cold and somewhat heartless. He only seems concerned with himself and his magic, emitting an evil vibe that the viewer easily accepts. Alfred went against what Cutter (Michael Caine) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) told him not to do and tied an unsafe knot that Robert’s wife could not slip out of during a magic show performance. This led to her drowning and the spark that started the professional and personal rivalry between Robert and Alfred.
Robert is naturally the wounded hero who was cheated out of happiness because Alfred was too pig-headed to think logically and safely. Alfred continues this carelessness in magic with his bullet catching trick, which doesn’t take long to backfire when Robert sticks a real bullet in the gun.
As the viewer, I felt an instant connection to Robert. I was devastated for his tragic loss and I wanted him to cause Alfred pain because Alfred seemed to move on with his life too easily. I loved that Robert took the brilliance of Alfred’s tricks, mainly The Transported Man, and put his own, more exciting spin on it. As far as I was concerned, Robert could do whatever he sought fit to humiliate and outdo Alfred. I wanted Robert to succeed and take everything that Alfred loved away from him, like Alfred had to him.
The movie continued to build this back and forth rivalry between the two central characters until hitting a crescendo, with Alfred being wrongfully accused of murdering Robert. The brilliant reveal showed that Robert may have died, but it was only one version of him that died. The machine that Tesla (David Bowie) built for him had actually cloned him. He continued to lived through this cloned version of himself. Sure Robert had to kill his original self every time he used the machine, but he didn’t really die since his mind was still in tack in the new cloned version of himself.
I find it fascinating that the ultimate magic trick in the film is no trick at all. It has no aces up the sleeves. It includes no tom-foolery. It is real. There is no logical explanation. I love it. People always demand answers and secrets to magic tricks so the illusion can be shattered; however, this illusion is fool proof. Mainly, due to the fact that it is no illusion at all. What makes it even scarier, is the price that Robert has to pay to ensure that his “trick” is successful. Yet I wonder, what would have happened if he didn’t kill himself after each time he used the machine? Could hundreds of Roberts be living a normal life in England? Would they all want to be magicians? Wouldn’t a magic trick with clones completely mystify an audience and ensure that you are the greatest magician of all time? And how ironic is it that Alfred is convicted of murdering Robert, when in fact, Robert committed suicide, but in a strange twist still lives? My mind hurts from all these revelations and what-if possibilities.
To top that twist, if possible, the realization that Alfred is actually two twin brothers is the more grounded and “oh my God, I can’t believe I missed that!” magic trick. The fact that two men are so devoted to their art that they would live a single life in order to be seen as one great man seemed so obvious after it was divulged.
One of the brothers (Alfred 1) was more reckless and driven. I feel this brother was the one who tied the wrong knot on Robert’s wife. This brother was the one who wanted to take big risks and couldn’t help but sneak a peak backstage at Robert’s show. Then being wrongfully accused of murder and sentenced to death.
The other brother (Alfred 2) seemed to have a gentler side. One who wanted to settle down with a wife and family. One who went to Robert’s wife’s wake to send his condolences. One who wanted to move past the rivalry. Unfortunately, living two halves of one life cost them both dearly. Alfred 2 lost the woman of his dreams. She was so depressed over her husband’s constant mood swings that she killed herself. Alfred 1 lost Olivia (Scarlett Johansson), the woman he loved, due to his rivalry with Robert and his apparent coldness towards his “wife’s” death. A woman he did not love. A woman his brother loved.
It was Robert’s obsession with revenge that turned him into a monster. By the end of the film I felt betrayed, tricked, bamboozled. The Robert I thought I knew would let Alfred die for “killing” him? Robert dug the knife in deeper by taking custody of the only thing Alfred had left, his daughter... well, his brother’s daughter. Still, one could tell that Alfred 1 cared for her just the same.
Robert’s whole ambition up until the film’s credits reveal that he had become the villain. He could have stopped the murder trial by revealing his “trick.” He could have allowed Fallon/ Alfred 2 to have custody of the girl. He could have been a decent human being. Instead, he saw a way to punish a man for an accidental death from a trick that was dangerous to perform in the first place. I mean, Robert could just have easily blamed Cutter for not breaking the glass of the water tank fast enough or himself for not being the one who always tied his wife’s hands together.
I was blown away that another big reveal showed that Robert, the man we as movie goers thought we knew, trusted, and believed in, was actually this sinister being. The true tragic heroes in the film were Alfred 1 and Alfred 2, who selfishly loved magic so much that they destroyed their personal lives; however, neither of them deserved the wrath of Robert. They became the tragic heroes by the film’s conclusion. Alfred 1 killed for no reason (well, Robert would argue for his wife’s death) and Alfred 2 lost his true love because of a life long magic trick he played with his brother. His only solace, the fact that he gets to be with his little girl.
I found the movie to be many skilled magic tricks stacked together to create one sensational trick that electrified my mind into pure elation. The movie’s end completely changed the way I viewed the characters throughout the entire film. My idea of good versus evil was reversed, leaving me ecstatic when Alfred 2 confronted Robert and avenged his brother’s wrongful hanging.
I loved The Prestige for its ability to be an intense period piece about magicians, then transform into a warped science fiction film, and ending as a revenge thriller with more twists and turns than I can count. This movie makes your mind run at a thousand miles per hour. It is an adrenaline rush of awesomeness. Most importantly, it teaches the viewer not to live one life with your twin. It will only end in misery. Don’t get into a rivalry with another magician. It will only end in misery. Don’t clone yourself. It will only end in misery. And obviously, don’t perform magic because it always leads to... misery.
The Prestige is a movie that encompasses everything I ever wanted to see in a film and then some. Christopher Nolan has easily become one of the greatest working directors in the movie business. As far as I am concerned, this is one of the best films I have ever had the privilege of seeing. It easily makes my favorite movie list.
The Breakdown:
Plot: 4 stars
Acting: 4 stars
Genre: 4 stars
Technical Aspects: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars
