The Prestige

At the dawn of the 20th century, rival magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are desperate to reveal each other's secrets. Obsessed by the escalating competition, the two illusionists begin to perform increasingly risky tricks -- which soon turn deadly. Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie also star in this taut psychological thriller from director Christopher Nolan.

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» Recommended for 8 people

» Reviewed by 18 people

The multiple-flashback opening confuses at first, but if you can get past that you eventually see why they had to tell this tale of feuding magicians they way they did.
- ecgriffith

One of the better movies I've seen in a really long time. You can't go wrong with anything that Christian Bale or Christopher Nolan do. The story is fantastic, and the twists are even better.
- ZakWinnick

What could have been a very good movie was ruined by a completely unsatisfying ending. Up to that point it wasnt a SciFi movie. I like the idea of the ending and the sacrifice made by Angier, but the premise of it did not fit with the over all movie.
- Craiglet

The story was crafted well enough, however I found none of the characters really compelling. This film was okay to pass the time, but I wouldn't call it out to anyone.
- JCzo

Great mood piece. Good pacing and subtle dramatic elements make this a very engaging movie. The acting and shots are superb. The lighting is perfect. David Bowie as Tesla was a great choice too.
- Rich311

Fantastic flick about rival stage magicians (but really about the magic of narrative). Top notch cast. Enjoyable, through and through. Form follows function - the film comments on itself. Great stuff.
- Jack Bunny

Unlike some have stated, this movie DOES NOT slip into science fiction. That is the "magic trick" that the movie plays on its audience. It is completely based in reality, and is all the more brilliant for it. One of the most well-structured screenplays I've ever witnessed, an absolute marvel on every level. This movie is not for everyone, and is definitely closer in tone to Nolan's first feature, "Following," than it is to Batman. But to the patient mind, that doesn't mind complexity in their films, this movie gets my highest recommendation.
- Topaz420 in CA

If you see one late nineteenth century movie about magicians from 2006, see The Illusionist. If you must see them both, the Prestige can be honestly said to be "not awful." Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman do their best as competing magicians in a plot of murderous and nonsensical magic rivalry. The viewer will hate both of them by the end, which is too bad, because you're supposed to root for one of them. Scarlet Johansson is around because she is pretty, and adds very little; Michael Caine fulfills a similar function. David Bowie shines as Nikola Tesla; the scenes with Bowie are the best in the film. Sadly, the subplot to which he belongs is part of the plot's unfortunate confluence of ridiculous coincidences that makes The Prestige subpar.
- The Pedant

An incredible story of two magicians Hugh (Angier) and Bale (Alfred) in competition with each other after Angier's wife Julia (Perabo) is killed during a magic trick. Possibly due to error by Alfred during the trick. The competition and lust for revenge by Angier evolves through deceit, lying, cheating, defamation, and physical injury to each other and becomes the focus of their lives for both men. As someone who has familiarity with professional magicians I found the personalities of Angier and Alfred were disturbingly accurate in several ways. This is not a film you can just sit down and watch to be entertained. You have to think and pay attention if you don't want to be hopelessly lost after the first 20 minutes. The acting in the movie was very good as was the camera work and sets. Kudos to Director, Christopher Nolan. The plot is quite original which is a lovely change from most movies coming out anymore! I loved Bowie as Tesla although the Tesla portion of the story involved more science fiction than fact. Incredibly that part of the movie was almost believeable. After all, it was 'magic'!! (I've read about Tesla, now I'm going to have to find a more historical film of his life.) In whole, the movie seems much longer than 2 hours. Most likely due to the plot twists and detail required to tell the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and hope to watch it again. I've a feeling this is one of those films where something new is found with each viewing.
- DocsReviews

With all of the initial hoopla surrounding this movie, I thought it was going to be a sure thing. What a disappointment. The magic wasn't magical. The magicians themselves were not the least bit likeable and I quickly grew tired of both. David Bowie was pretty cool, though. The funny thing is that I thought I wouldn't like The Illusionist, but I find it to be the better movie.
- kqu 672359

I wanted to love The Prestige. The acting was top notch throughout (although Johansson is really starting to suffer from overexposure), and the director has a reputation for films that are at least interesting, if not always high art. I have to admit, though, that I had to struggle to merely like this movie at times. It was very dark, not usually a problem for me (Tim Burton fan), but it got tedious trying to figure out who was who in the murk. It seemed longer than it was, and there may have been one twist too many. And it's difficult to like a movie when you don't particularly like any of the characters. In the end, I've decided that this is an interesting movie, if not high art, and it may be worth a rental, but probably isn't worth full price at the theater.
- LB in Idaho

Batman vs. Wolverine, how could this go wrong? Cool magic tricks that I really liked to see and bad sci fi explanations to ruin the biggest ones. No triumph of good over evil at the conclusion but instead a chilling revelation of hidden evil. No hero. (it's fine to avoid cliches of the triumph of good and of nobel heros, but give me something worthwhile in it's place.)
- abt 80654

A cop-out. The prestige is the final part of a magic trick, where the woman once sawn is put back together, or the coin magically appears from behind your ear. In magic it's a fantastic element, something that should not happen yet does. I didn't buy it. It wasn't magic, just a trick. I wish I could say more without giving spoilers.
- Mercurywaxing

Everyone wants to compare this movie to THE ILLUSIONIST, but it's apples to oranges to me. I liked both movies a lot. Yes, they are both about magicians, and both are set in similar time periods. Both also came out around the same time, so I understand the comparisons. But, other than these minor things, they are completely different movies. From a pure physical standpoint, I thought THE PRESTIGE was the better movie. There was more going on, more happening, and the rivalry between the characters played by Jackman and Bale seemed more developed. THE ILLUSIONIST was the more subtle of the two movies, and the ultimate resolution of THE PRESTIGE was more fantastic. In fact, I would place this movie in the genre of science-fiction rather than a historical mystery or true period piece.
- Firewater

I sat down expecting this movie to be very much like The Illusionist, but that was not the case at all. This movie was different and it is a shame that two movies came out around the same time, both focusing on magic/illusions because it inevitably drew comparisons all over the internet. Christian Bale was amazing in this film and I thoroughly enjoy Hugh Jackmans performance as well. They start out as two illusionists working onstage together in the same act, but when a tragic mistake occurs onstage, they go their separate ways. These two illusionists continually try to make their illusions better than the others to draw a bigger crowd and achieve more fame. As their obsessions drive them further into a darker realm, you get the sense they dont even care about the fame and the audience anymore, it is all about being better than the other one, and there is nothing they will stop at to get it. There were other characters in the film who did a good job with their acting as well, such as Scarlett Johansson, David Bowe and Michael Cane, their performances, while excellent, but were not as integral to the main storyline. The dark, dingy colors helped submerge you into the storyline. The era that this took place in felt authentic. The movie jumped all over the place and I found myself asking which one suffered loss?, which one is being punished?, which one is reading right now?... I dont generally feel the need to have my hand held to get through a film, but it seemed I had a lot of trouble getting things straight before I was able to enjoy the movie. All in all, once you figure things out and enjoy the story it was easy to be sucked in. I enjoyed the movie, unfortunately not as much as I thought I would.
- dgp 1689775

Clever and deep, this movie will force you to participate in unraveling it's mysteries. Plot heavy and complex but dark and rich with detail. This rabbit hole has many twists but is worth the ride.
- izh 563880

WOW!!! I liked this movie a LOT more then I anticipated. I thought that it would be just another over hyped movie with a common story...but WOW!!! I don't want to give anything away because it was just so good! Jackman & Bale are breathtaking in this film, which really shouldn't be a surprise since both of them are so very good. I will admit at first I couldn't really get into the story as it starts out a bit slow but as it unfold you are quickly dragged into it and never let go. The ending is superb and just really really WOW! I would recommend this film to anyone who likes a good story. A top ten on any ones queue.
- *~*Sullivans*~*

ireviewnetflix.com rating: *** (Actually 2.5) If you want a good magic movie with a better story, go rent The Illusionist. The end was good, but the build up to end was dull and plodding at times. Maybe I wasnt playing close enough attention, but I got lost about halfway through it. But by the end when I was back on track it got interesting again.
- ireviewnetflix.com