07-03-20 The Prestige (2006)

Seen: March 17th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 8

I'd been waiting a while to see this one. I've got a friend who I sometimes rent films with, and it can be a challenge to find something we both haven't seen. It was great to find this on the shelf.

I really like Chris Nolan's films. He and his brother are a great writing team, and his vision as a director is also excellent. Everything he does will be compared to Memento. This may make his career difficult, but it's also a testament to the brilliance of that film.

While I enjoyed Batman Begins, I'm thrilled that he's returned to this arena. The film is twisty, filled with people fully living all their personalities. These clash to very nice effect.

The theme at the heart of the film is secrets. They form the very soul of the magicians who are both protagonist and antogonist in the film. We're shown many secrets. This draws us in and makes us feel privaledged, makes us feel a bit smug, perhaps. We are warm, safe, in the know. And Nolan then gently begins to unravel the world he's created, gradually leaving us unbalanced. The pace then accelerates, leaving us grasping for something that we still know to be true. It's a delightful feeling, but like rollercoaters, not for everyone.

While there are implausible elements to the film, their impact on the actual is fairly minimal. Nolan generally plays very fairly with his audience. The clues are there, the allegory subtle and infectious. Like Memento, I want to see this again, so that I can appreciate the nuances that I may have missed the first time.

I have few complaints about the film. First, there is an air of romaticism about the film. This is partly due to its depiction of the period. It's too clean, too perfect, even in scences that depict lower class venues. I wanted it have that Dead Man authentic squalor where appropriate. Memento was true in this way, so I wonder if this polished look was due to pressure from the studio/producers.

Second, I would love to know more about Cutter, Sarah and Olivia. I could have stood a slightly longer film, but perhaps not the movie-going public.

But this is not about them. It is about two men locked in a mortal combat of intelligence, will, and persistence.

And it gets a little dirty.

The Good: Chris Nolan returns to his roots

The Bad: A stale air of Romanticism.

The Ugly: Competition and Obsession get way out of hand.