It’s tempting to call The Prestige a very good film, if only to deny the travesty of having a great cast in anything lesser than a very good film. Of course you could argue that it is often the cast that determines how a film turns out, instead of the other way around. To an extent this is true for Christopher Nolan’s latest presentation. But from a different perspective, one feels that things might have been different if some aspects of the film allowed the characters to live a little. Ah well, to the nitty gritty we go..
Set in the 19th century, the film follows the fortunes of two rival magicians, whose singular passion for their trade is overshadowed by their obsession with each other. Starting their life as 2 young aspiring magician’s assistants, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden realize that they will be enemies for life when Angier’s wife is accidentally killed during one of the shows. Angier blames Borden for the death, and does everything in his power to sabotage Borden’s shows. And Borden responds in kind. So Borden loses two of his fingers, and Angier the use of one of his legs. The obsession to best the other reaches its apex when Borden starts to perform the Transported Man, a trick that is as mystifying as it is popular. There seems to be no plausible explanation for the new act, and this torments Angier no end. He works on a similar act, and is successful too – till Borden deals another fatal blow, making Angier the laughing stock of the town in the process. Determined to find the real secret, or the Prestige behind the trick that destroyed him, Angier sends his assistant and lover Olivia to spy on Borden, eventually getting his hands on Borden’s secret journal. Angier is led on a transatlantic voyage to fond the creator of the “machine”, a contraption, Angier is convinced, that will finally install him as the undisputed best. But success is never that easily achieved, and there is a heavy price to pay.
Known for the dark hue he imparts each of his films, director Chris Nolan does not disappoint those who like watching human frailties exposed to the maximum. This is magic not of the Peter-Pan variety, the type kid’s birthday parties are made up of. This is a far more menacing world, more human than other-wordly; it delves into the human emotions that drive the men behind this art. Ambition in any area is a curious trait, even if it’s in a profession as fantastical as modern wizardry. The Prestige is about a magician’s ambition to create the perfect act, one that can be matched by none, one that defies the realms of reality and all sane explanation, an act that pleases its audience by confounding it – magic that is real…well almost. Every magician dreams of that perfect act, an act that will elevate him to the realms of wizardry. It is the pursuit that consumes the two adversaries, demanding more than its pound of flesh. Nolan has kept to his original brief, trying hard to play on the characters rather than the act itself. So while we are not overwhelmed by the beauty of the tricks shown, the tension between Borden and Angier is constant and palpable. Which makes for gripping stuff. You just can’t take your eyes off this one.
The photography feels a little dated, the editing a little choppy - the film flits between the past and the future a bit too abruptly, and it takes a while to figure out where we are. Some gaps in the storyline like the unexplained origins of the Borden’s mysterious assistant. There are other inconsistencies in the plot as well, none I can recount here since they are reflections in hindsight, after the climax. The love lives of the antagonists are merely touched upon, where they could have been used to strengthen the human value of the story. Through all this, however, the story trundles in a taut, steady manner to a decent, if slightly predictable climax. The characters are all etched in grey, so you don’t really sympathise with any of them, though I found myself a little dissatisfied with the denouement. Not sure all was satisfactorily closed at the end of it all.
Performances are par for the course in most cases. Hugh Jackman is competent as Angier, a man whose enmity with his archrival started as a quest to seek vengeance, and then warps into a desperate scramble to best him. Michael Caine as his mentor and show arranger Cutter, is exquisite, leaving us wishing Nolan had written a stronger role for him. Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall play the love interests with as much zest and feeling as the script allowed them. The conflicted lover played by Johansson did present some histrionic possibilities, but that might not have fitted into the overall vision of the movie. David Bowie appears in a cameo role as Nikolai Tesla, a role pivotal as it is delightful to watch. Andy Serkis appears in a rare human appearance after his turn as the voice of Gollum. Creepy as ever, suited the role of Tesla’s assistant to a T.
The part to die for, however is that of Borden’s, and Christian Bale revels in it. One cans see why he seems to have become a staple in Nolan’s films. Bale acts the part of an ambitious, talented magician for whom no sacrifice is so great as to deny him his place in history. The intensity is there as it was in Batman, but here there is flamboyance, and an amazing sensititvity, which makes you realize that this is one actor made for the distance.
So, is The Prestige a very good film? Well, it could have been with a sharper set of lenses, and a better performance from Jackman. Also could have done without some of the loopholes in the story. But the journey through the movie is engrossing, dark and deep enough to provoke some thought. The pace is even, and gripping in parts. The story is well told. And there’s the promise of a better tomorrow from Nolan and Bale. Can’t wait for Batman 2: The Dark Knight!