Director: Neil Burger
Cast: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell
It’s inevitable that this film will draw comparisons with Chris Nolan’s THE PRESTIGE. The obvious similarity is it is about a stage magician in the late 19th century. But it goes further. Both films feature excellent lead male actors and beautiful but ineffectual females. Both films are about obsession and revenge and make the story unfold like a magic trick. Despite the similarities they are both quite different films.
THE ILLUSIONIST tells the tale of Eisenheim (Norton), a brilliant stage magician and the greatest illusionist Vienna has ever seen. As a youth he is separated from Sophie, the girl he loves, because she is from the nobility while he was just the son of a cabinetmaker (yet another similarity with Christian Bale’s character in THE PRESTIGE). Driven away he travels throughout the Orient learning the mysteries of his craft and refining his skills. On his return to Vienna he becomes a huge success, attracting even royalty to his shows. By chance, the arrogant Crown Prince Leopold (Sewell doing another excellent job of being nasty) volunteers his betrothed to take part in the show and Eisenheim instantly recognises her as his childhood sweetheart. They start a clandestine romance, which makes Eisenheim a target for the Prince’s anger. Leopold orders the shrewd Chief Inspector Uhl (Giamatti), the head of the secret police, to close down the theatre and make Eisenheim vanish. But as the net tightens around him and tragedy strikes, Eisenheim prepares to execute his greatest illusion yet.
There are great performances from the male leads and the director captures the atmosphere of imperial Vienna (in Prague), but in the end it is not as good a story as THE PRESTIGE. Some of the dialogue is clunky in places and for anyone who has watched any of the countless episodes of POIRROT on the television, it is fairly easy to predict what has happened and solve the mystery, which THE PRESTIGE never did.
Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this film; good acting, confident direction, impressive tricks and a fair romance. It’s just that THE PRESTIGE did it better (and has David Bowie as Nikola Tesla), so if you haven’t seen Nolan’s film go and see THE ILLUSIONIST then watch THE PRESTIGE afterwards, on DVD, and decide for your self.
THE ILLUSIONIST is on general release from March 2 from Momentum Pictures
THE PRESTIGE is out on DVD on March 12 from Warner.
Watch the Trailer and clips (QuickTime and broadband required).