The Prestige (12A)

favourite film

Everyone will have different opinions on this film, and mine is that is it just truly amazing. A clever story-line which kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for more tricks and twists.

hey faggot, if you can't even make a good movie, then shut the fuck up, and get the fuck out

as flawed as it is ridiculous, it is a terrible film and a waste of time

A superb film with superb acting from Hugh Jackman and especially from Christian Bale. You need to be prepared to think for yourself and invest your full attention in the film to really appreciate what your watching. Its one of those movies you find yourself thinking about long after you've seen it and best of all you can watch it again and again, which I recommend as on a second viewing you gain a fuller understanding of the story and can appreciate the nuances of the storyline. Watch and enjoy!

looks good, well shot and fine performances. ultimately, this movie is poor, it's about as interesting if the subject matter were clowns who were all competitive; who cares. one clown gets upset about another, one clown fancies the others wife. one clown decides to do something radical. then i fell asleep. dull movie, goes on forever.

this film is pure class, repeated viewings are also enjoyable, infact almost essential to fully appreciate its depth. bale is superb as is jackman. must see film and far better than 'the illusionist'

A very clever story, in fact almost too clever with all the twists, but not bad. One might also see it as a fascinating study of human obsession. Finally, I really do wish that David Bowie sticks to doing music.

This is a fantastic tale. It starts as an intriguing psychodrama and ends up part HG Wells, part Aleister Crowley (with maybe Jean Louis Borges and Cronenberg darkly whispering from the wings). The horrific implications of its conclusion have been rattling around in me ever since the credits rolled. My only issue with The Prestige is that yet again in a Nolan film woman are sacrifical lambs -hanged, drowned, sliced, diced or bludegeoned as plot devices to propel their troubled male protagonists in to an obsessive quest. None the less, Nolan has proved once again that he is the true heir to that other great cinematic chronicler of the Quest, John Boorman.

This is an impressively staged and mounted film and the acting substantially backs up this director's vision.It's based on an impressive novel with a screenplay done by the director and his brother.It has framing devices that uses Angier's(Jackson's) Journal and Bordern's(Bale's) diary.The leading character's are two rival magicians out to steal each other's secrets.There is an intellectual thoroughness about the film saying the essence of a magic trick is the pledge,the turn and the prestige.We have multiple narratives and multiple timelines to build up a complex tale that seems to function as a magic trick. There is the use of stage doubles on both sides though this is not always immediately apparent. then there is the spiritualist and materialist perspectives.The magicians are closer to people who conduct seances and put large crowds in a trance.The real wizards are the scientists like Tesla who are in a parallel world of pioneering electricity.His great rival is Thomas Edison.They were the AC and DC pioneers of their age. Angier holds Bordern responsible for the death of his wife and stage partner.Later Bordern is blamed for the death(murder?) of Angier. They both at times share the same woman(Johansson).Nolan treats it all like a massive jigsaw which he slowly and by sleight-of-hand assembles.The framing devices present multiple points of view,all subjective.Metaphors of deception are turned into visual metaphors.Things dont just disappear they have to come back as in the 'Transported Man' or the dove.They sabotage each others acts or secretly watch each other's acts.Real magicians have to get their hands dirty as the mentor( Caine) says..Angier gets a double to keep up with Bordern's act.This double soon gets out of control and becomes Angier's achilles heel.Tricks,lies,secrets interfere with both magician's love lives.Angier enlists Tesla's(Bowie) help to build a trick to rival Bordern's.There is a massive twist at the end,one of many of the director's narrative tricks up his sleeve. Not at all convincing.By misdirections find directions out? I really enjoyed Bale's and Rebecca Hall's acting.Some reality got lost in the flash backwards and the flash forwards as well as Tesla's clone machine? However the trouble is that our beliefs in each character get eroded,our emotions unable to cross the multiple narratives/framing devices/timeshifts. We become like betrayed partners in a relationship due to the tricks,lies and secrets that have taken the place of love. Despite the impressive display there is a hollow core. He has learned all the techniques of directing apart from the depiction of emotion