The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige (2006) - PG-13 Review

"Pay no attention to that director behind the curtain..."

 If there is one director who excels at telegraphing a films intentions, of obfuscating terrible plot holes through expensive visuals, and produce more dubious morality eyerolls per minute and still have the general public lap it up and ask for more then you have to look no further than Christopher Nolan (Memento). This Prestige is literally someone ruining the mystery of magic (both on screen and off) by over explaining every little detail and still expecting the ending to be some sort of surprise (guess what, it isn't).  In typical Nolan style the movie looks great, every frame a 1900's fashion magazine.  Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale try to outdo each other through a number of years as dueling magicians locking horns over the greater trick, thereby reducing the romanticism of turn of the century showmanship into a petty squabble of wits which is over long and under thought out.

The magic of prestidigitation is the same as film itself, a suspension of belief and a living in the moment.  If you ruin the trick then you can never get it back, and The Prestige is a film designed to do just that.  And just when its time to reveal the last hidden secret (that you've by now guessed over an hour ago) the conclusion is sprung, the curtain is pulled back and we just what dark forces are pulling the strings here: Deus Ex Machina in all its terrible trappings.  Aptly Nolan's box office achievements must be held up as a testament to his own great skills at misdirection.

3 Top Hats out of 10 (BAD)