The Prestige

by Ari

Personal vendetta fuels the dark and despicable characters in Christopher Nolan’s stunning new picture, The Prestige, perhaps the bleakest, most disturbing mainstream thriller of recent memory. The Prestige is a mesmeric exploration into the coldest, most inhuman acts people will do for the sake of artistry and personal rivalry, a tragedy of evil men who ruin everything and everyone in their path for success. A labyrinthine story with several twists and turns, The Prestige may give the appearance of pure entertainment, but beneath its surface is something far more dangerous and unnerving, a character study of the terrible extents to which a man will reach in order to fulfill the darkest of needs. The content is all rather shocking, and it takes some time for everything to properly sink in. To present such cruelty in such an entertaining form is the film’s most disarming element, the trick of all tricks performed by this deeply complex achievement.

Films that focus on the development of intensely sinister characters naturally divide audiences since identifying with them is out of the question. Leaving a cold impression may not be the most appealing characteristic to some viewers, but the characters themselves are fully realized and thematically complete. The Prestige is not a happy experience, but it’s certainly a riveting one. Christopher Nolan has established himself an extremely impressive filmmaker, turning out sophisticated work in genres that have been considerably lacking in mature, intelligent storytelling. With Batman Begins, Nolan found an effective rhythm, one he employs here to great success. The Prestige cuts back and forth over several time periods in the lives of lead characters Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman), revealing important character and plot details in basically every sequence. Nolan and his co-writer, brother Jonathon Nolan, adapt the acclaimed novel by Christopher Priest (I’ve not read it) into a puzzle of a cinematic story that carefully and intricately explains itself. The Prestige is a challenging film constructed with expert precision. At any moment the filmmakers could lose control of a story as densely layered as this one, but Nolan never falters, nor distances the viewer. The Prestige is sharp and intelligent, brutal and uncompromising. Nolan clearly understands thrillers inside-out, and what he provides here is surprisingly powerful and provoking.

Michael Caine is an engineer of magic tricks in turn of the century London, a man who runs successful magic shows with two young and rising magicians, Borden and Angier. Borden is a naturally talented, brilliant artist while Angier is the less original, but more entertaining showman. When Angier’s wife (Piper Perabo), an assistant performer, is killed during an act because of Borden’s mistake, their friendship is broken and a blood-feud commences. It begins as simple revenge on Angier’s part, but eventually develops into something far more complex. The two magicians start their own shows, each of them plotting to destroy each other’s success by resorting to violence. Angier puts a bullet in Borden’s hand, blowing off two of his fingers. Borden responds by sabotaging one of Angier’s acts, breaking his leg. As their feud progresses, the two men develope their own personal, romantic entanglements. Borden marries a woman he meets at one of his shows (Rebecca Hall in one of the film’s great performances) and has a child. Angier becomes intimate with his new assistant played by the always reliable Scarlett Johansson. Unfortunately the women are sacrificed for the obsession with professional achievement, especially after Borden performs his startling new trick, “The Transported Man”. Once Angier witnesses Borden’s genius, he becomes fixated on discovering his method. His mania leads to the mysterious technological wizard Nikola Tesla (David Bowie) and a series of shocking revelations. It’s difficult to describe a film that works so well because of its secrets, but the surprises in The Prestige are fairly brilliant.

The structure is a daring piece of storytelling, cutting back and forth over different moments of their disastrous feud at relentless speed. As previously stated, it’s disarming to have so much fun piecing together information for a story that becomes increasingly tragic. What these men do to each other and the people they supposedly love is beyond sickening, made only worse by the final revealing plot point. The final act is a particularly intense segment of unsettling emotional chaos. The Prestige is about agony. The agony of loss, obsession, and jealousy. Thematic parallels between Angier and Borden are incredibly weaved through their professional and personal experiences. It’s edgy material, and I applaud Nolan’s ambitions. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale do exceptional work, as does the very talented supporting cast, most notably Caine and Bowie.

Nolan used several people from his Batman Begins crew, including cinematographer Wally Pfister. The Prestige is atmospheric and beautifully photographed, a film with real visual merit. Nolan, simply put, makes good cinema. He and editor Lee Smith do a pretty extraordinary job of maintaining a taut and smooth structure throughout. If you believe in Oscars, Smith’s work is the kind that deserves such praise.

The Prestige is a triumph.