C.T Recommended: The Prestige (2006)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale

The plot follows Robert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Bale), rival stage magicians in London at the end of the 19th century. Obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, they engage in competitive one-upmanship

I'm quite surprised how I haven't seen this till now. I absolutely love Christopher Nolan, so I defintely knew I was going to enjoy this film, but I didn't expect to love it this much. I went in with low expectations due to the critic reviews, and I came out speechless. The film was fantastic.

The plot was engaging and interesting, and the dialogue was well-written, but that is expected whenever you see a Christopher Nolan film, especially if the screenplay was written by both Christopher and his brother Jonathan Nolan. I loved the idea of how the film was not in order, and it was up to the audience to piece together the events of the film, similar to the style of Memento, which was also directed by Christopher Nolan. The cast were brilliant, especially Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale who stole the show (pun intended). One of the biggest surprises, was the casting of David Bowie which was really awesome, and he performed the role of Nikola Tesla really well. Even with it's slightly slow pacing, the film does really well to engage it's audience, and you really won't know what's coming next. It's unpredictable, and it just grabs your attention, and takes you on a wild ride, much like their magic tricks.

The visuals were great, the framing and the cinematography were really well-done. The music which ISN'T done by Hans Zimmer (Yeah, this was before the partnership began) was done brilliantly by David Julyan, who also helped score Nolan's older films such as Memento and Insomnia.

Honestly surprised that critics gave it poor to mixed reviews. I thought it was pretty fantastic, and I am glad I decided to watch the movie for myself to decide that. This is definitely one that the critics got wrong.

In conclusion, a great Nolan film with an engaging story-line, backed by powerful performances. This is definitely one you should check out, when you can. While critics state it's one of Nolan's weakest, I can guarantee you that it's one of his best.

My rating: 9.0/10

#CTRecommended #2019