The Prestige

SUMMER FILM NUMBER FORTY-FOUR: This just makes it even more obvious why I love Nolan. He is a masterclass in almost every single aspect. No. Not almost, everything. I know people don’t like him for not writing women well or thinking he’s smarter than he is, but I think that is all ball crap.  The characters were the main focus of this film, similarly to other Nolan projects and I think he smashed it out of the park with this one. The tow main characters, Alfred and Angier, were brilliantly written and their rivalry was gripping till the very end.  The acting was brilliant but like many of Nolan’s filmography, it’s expected. He always gets the best actors in the roles and he casted perfectly again. Hugh Jackman is an actor you don’t seen in much bar Wolverine so seeing him in a different role makes me happy. Christian Bale is one of my favourite actors so I love him in everything and he CRUSHES this role. And of course Micheal Caine absolutely destroys it, being one of the wise men of Hollywood in my opinion. Everyone else also did great but I was a little bit disappointed by Scarlett Johansson. I understand she was at the beginning of her carrier, but it’s still a little disappointing when I was expecting something along the lines of A Marriage Story. The story is great. It’s about two magicians, who were friends until the death of the one magicians wife in a freak accident. As the movie goes on, they get increasingly more angry at each other, doing worse and worse things. Until eventually Alfred is caught red handed, as he is murdered Angier! Or did he? It’s a fascinating tale explaining why and how things ended up as they were, with a brilliant Nolan plot twist at the end. I feel this story is quite a good one. The set design and costume design is very nice here. It’s a very good look at Victorian England in a modern light. I think it is probably my favourite set out of any Nolan film ever, and that’s saying something. I just want to know how much of the budget was blasted on hats. The camera work is very well done to only show you want the film wants you to see at one point, and show you the rest later. I also just think Nolan is really good at stuff like this. And obviously the script is fantastic. Without spoilers, the final line of Angier is incredibly well written and even though I side with Alfred, I do think this was probably my favourite line of the film. Overall, one of, if not the greatest Victorian film I have ever seen, with everything perfected by Nolan.