Something magical, something electric

Film review: The Prestige

The craft of magic has had a sort of resurgence today with the proliferation of so-called street magicians who astound and regale via up-close-and-personal illusions. But even if we’ve seen David Blaine levitate on a city sidewalk on TV, we know there is a catch.

In this skeptical, cynical world, we have, by and large, learned to accept everything we see with more than a grain of salt and an iota of disbelief.

Which is why it makes a lot of sense to go back in time – 20th-century London, to be precise – for the cinematic treat that is The Prestige. Even as people were more easily thrilled (fooled?) back then, magicians had to work with crude equipment and implements while relying on their sleight of hand and innovative ways to weave entertaining tricks.

With this as backdrop, this tale of friends turned adversaries commences.

Promising magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) prosper under the watchful eye of the father figure cum teacher Cutter (Michael Caine).

However, the healthy competition of Cutter’s wards abruptly deteriorates into an ugly and very personal one when Borden unwittingly plays a hand in the death of Angier’s wife – who drowns in a botched escape act.

Angier’s grief precipitates a downward spiral, even as Borden seeks to come to terms with his sin. They are consumed with outdoing each other – stopping at nothing – to discover each other’s trade secrets in a bitter circle of hate and vengeance. But through everything, Angier and Borden are inextricably bound to their craft – even at the expense of all the relationships they have.

Just outside this black hole of hate, David Bowie makes a cameo appearance as the real-life Nikolas Tesla, the Serbian-American inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer. Tesla is regarded as the father of the alternating current, and one of the most important inventors in history. Through the AC motor, Tesla heralded the second industrial revolution, and roundly beat the great Thomas Edison in what was to be known as the war of the currents.

Tesla (a bit of a mad genius himself) and his work with electricity serve as the catalyst to bring the tale of our protagonists to the brink of chaos and catastrophe. David Bowie, the Ziggy Stardust of yore, is a perfect reincarnation of brilliance and madness. He deserved more screen time, as his splendid, thoughtful portrayal didn’t fall into the treacherous Dr. Frankenstein ethos.

The Prestige is megged, co-produced and co-scripted by Christopher Nolan, responsible for resuscitating the Batman franchise in Batman Begins (Nolan returns on The Dark Knight, scheduled to run in 2008), and the critically acclaimed Insomnia.

Nolan’s penchant and adroitness in dealing with dark material clearly rubs off on The Prestige, a visceral movie that earns a PG-13 for violence and disturbing images. A movie about magic this may be, but clearly not the kind that belongs to the Magic Kingdom. Base desires – ambition above all else – are what really drive the characters. The emotions are but tempered and complemented by the smorgasbord of costumes, sets, discovery and effects the movie audience is made to witness.

Still, a rollercoaster of twists and turns in the plot will keep you engaged and guessing as to what lies just behind the corner – and this is what probably helped The Prestige pull in $40-M at the box-office.

Though not dizzying, this is a good figure thus far for this good movie – until you realize that Saw III has made $20-M more in its more recent run. Truly, life, such as The Prestige, is not so brightly lit.