| Photos (see all 59 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 23) |
| Hugh Jackman | ... | Robert Angier | |
| Christian Bale | ... | Alfred Borden | |
| Michael Caine | ... | Cutter | |
| Piper Perabo | ... | Julia McCullough | |
| Rebecca Hall | ... | Sarah | |
| Scarlett Johansson | ... | Olivia Wenscombe | |
| Samantha Mahurin | ... | Jess | |
| David Bowie | ... | Tesla | |
| Andy Serkis | ... | Alley | |
| Daniel Davis | ... | Judge | |
| Jim Piddock | ... | Prosecutor | |
| Christopher Neame | ... | Defender | |
| Mark Ryan | ... | Captain | |
| Roger Rees | ... | Owens | |
| Jamie Harris | ... | Sullen Warder | |
| Monty Stuart | ... | Stagecoach Driver | |
| Ron Perkins | ... | Hotel Manager | |
| Ricky Jay | ... | Milton | |
| J. Paul Moore | ... | Virgil | |
| Anthony De Marco | ... | Boy (as Anthony DeMarco) | |
| Chao Li Chi | ... | Chung Ling Soo (as Chao-Li Chi) | |
| Gregory Humphreys | ... | Policeman | |
| John B. Crye | ... | Voice | |
| William Morgan Sheppard | ... | Merrit (as W. Morgan Sheppard) | |
| Sean Howse | ... | Man | |
| Julie Sanford | ... | Elegant Lady | |
| Ezra Buzzington | ... | Ticket Hawker | |
| James Lancaster | ... | Moderator | |
| Olivia Merg | ... | Jess - Toddler | |
| Zoe Merg | ... | Jess - Toddler | |
| Johnny Liska | ... | Scalper | |
| Russ Fega | ... | Man in Hotel | |
| Kevin Will | ... | Man in Hotel | |
| Edward Hibbert | ... | Ackerman | |
| Christopher Judges | ... | Burly Stagehand | |
| James Otis | ... | Blind Stagehand 1 | |
| Sam Menning | ... | Blind Stagehand 2 | |
| Brian Tahash | ... | Blind Stagehand 3 | |
| Scott Davis | ... | Carriage Driver | |
| Jodi Bianca Wise | ... | Glamorous Assistant | |
| Nikki Glick | ... | Housekeeper | |
| Enn Reitel | ... | Workman 1 | |
| Clive Kennedy | ... | Warder | |
| Rob Arbogast | ... | Leonard (as Robert Arbogast) | |
| Chris Cleveland | ... | Will | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Erin Cipolletti | ... | Dancer (uncredited) | |
| Basil McCurry | ... | Bored Audience Member (uncredited) | |
| Tim Pilleri | ... | Piano Player 1 (uncredited) | |
| Wendy Rosoff | ... | Dancer (uncredited) | |
| Inna Swann | ... | Handkerchief Lady (uncredited) | |
| Deanna Lynn Walsh | ... | Woman on Carriage Bus (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Christopher Nolan | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Jonathan Nolan | (screenplay) and | |
| Christopher Nolan | (screenplay) | |
| Christopher Priest | (novel) | |
Produced by | |||
| Christopher Ball | .... | executive producer (as Chris J. Ball) | |
| Valerie Dean | .... | executive producer | |
| Jordan Goldberg | .... | associate producer | |
| Christopher Nolan | .... | produced by | |
| Aaron Ryder | .... | produced by | |
| Charles J.D. Schlissel | .... | executive producer | |
| Emma Thomas | .... | produced by | |
| William Tyrer | .... | executive producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| David Julyan | (music by) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Wally Pfister | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Lee Smith | (edited by) | ||
Casting by | |||
| John Papsidera | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Nathan Crowley | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Kevin Kavanaugh | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Julie Ochipinti | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Joan Bergin | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Janice Alexander | .... | department head hair | |
| Karen Asano-Myers | .... | hairstylist (as Karen Myers) | |
| Terry Baliel | .... | hairstylist | |
| John R. Bayless | .... | key make-up artist | |
| Leo Corey Castellano | .... | prosthetic make-up | |
| Maggie Fung | .... | make-up artist | |
| Kenny Myers | .... | make-up artist: Mr. Jackman | |
| Peter Robb-King | .... | department head make-up | |
| Heba Thorisdottir | .... | make-up artist: Ms. Johansson | |
| Victoria Wood | .... | wigs by | |
| Roxane Griffin | .... | hair stylist (uncredited) | |
| Aimee Macabeo | .... | special effects hair: Optic Nerve Studio (uncredited) | |
| Nicole Michaud | .... | hair ventilation: Cine-Makeup Inc. (uncredited) | |
| Nicole Michaud | .... | special effects hair: Optic Nerve (uncredited) | |
| Margarita Pidgeon | .... | hair stylist (uncredited) | |
| Bob Smithson | .... | contact lens technician (uncredited) | |
| Greg Solomon | .... | special makeup effects artist (uncredited) | |
| Kimberley Spiteri | .... | hair stylist (uncredited) | |
| Fiona Stiles | .... | makeup artist: David Bowie (uncredited) | |
Production Management | |||
| Gregg Edler | .... | production supervisor | |
| Teresa Kelly | .... | post production supervisor | |
| Nancy Kirhoffer | .... | post production supervisor | |
| Cristen Carr Strubbe | .... | unit production manager | |
| Mark Scoon | .... | executive in charge of production (uncredited) | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Alan B. Curtiss | .... | first assistant director | |
| Jody Spilkoman | .... | second assistant director | |
| Cy Roscoe Strickland | .... | additional second assistant director | |
| Lynn Struiksma | .... | second second assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Scott Buckwald | .... | property master | |
| Erin Cipolletti | .... | art department production assistant | |
| Scott Doran | .... | leadman (as R. Scott Duran) | |
| Jared Fleury | .... | assistant property master | |
| Capella Kincheloe | .... | art department production assistant | |
| Jeanne Kukor | .... | assistant property master (as Jeanne Marie Kukor) | |
| Scott Lafferty | .... | gangboss | |
| Mark Lucero | .... | set designer | |
| Naaman Marshall | .... | assistant art director | |
| Joe Ondrejko | .... | construction coordinator | |
| Ledia Telo | .... | construction estimator | |
| Sally Thornton | .... | set designer | |
| Scott Zuber | .... | set designer | |
| Jory Alvarado | .... | drapery foreman (uncredited) | |
| Jason Bartolone | .... | construction foreman (uncredited) | |
| Tonya Brewer Hunt | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Emily Crupper | .... | set decoration buyer (uncredited) | |
| J.P. Fitting | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Will Grant | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Brock Helfer | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Bill 'Kauhane' Hoyt | .... | stand-by painter (uncredited) | |
| John Kelso | .... | metal fabricator (uncredited) | |
| Thomas D. Krausz | .... | set dressing gang boss: Tesla (uncredited) | |
| Tim R. Lafferty | .... | construction gangboss (uncredited) | |
| Amy Lamendola | .... | art department assistant (uncredited) | |
| Phillis Lehmer | .... | graphic designer (uncredited) | |
| Marc Meisels | .... | set dressing gang boss (uncredited) | |
| Paul Pastorelli | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Chris Patterson | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Mike Peritz | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| James Pollack | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Jamie Rama | .... | illustrator (uncredited) | |
| Mark Richardson | .... | props (uncredited) | |
| Bret Ross | .... | set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Bennet Silver | .... | on-set dresser (uncredited) | |
| Toby Swinehart | .... | paint gangboss (uncredited) | |
| Robert H. Winn | .... | paint foreman (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| David Blitstein | .... | special effects coordinator | |
| William Lee | .... | special effects rigging foreman (as William D. Lee) | |
| David Simmons | .... | special effects set foreman (as David L. Simmons) | |
| Mario Vanillo | .... | special effects shop foreman (as Mario Vanilo) | |
| Kirk Barton | .... | special effects craft service (uncredited) | |
| Greg Bryant | .... | special effects assistant (uncredited) | |
| Lenny Dalrymple | .... | special effects technician (uncredited) | |
| Ruben Garcia | .... | special effects assistant (uncredited) | |
| Bruce Y. Kuroyama | .... | special effects technician (uncredited) | |
| Arthur G. Schlosser | .... | snow effects technician (uncredited) | |
| John Vulich | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
| Douglas D. Ziegler | .... | special effects assistant (uncredited) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Florent Andorra | .... | cg sequence supervisor: BUF | |
| Florent Cadel | .... | cg artist: BUF | |
| Giacun Caduff | .... | visual effects coordinator: BUF | |
| Stephane Ceretti | .... | visual effects supervisor: BUF | |
| Melanie Cussac | .... | visual effects coordinator: BUF (as Mélanie Cussac) | |
| Robin Deledicque | .... | cg artist: BUF | |
| Olivier Dumont | .... | associate visual effects supervisor: BUF | |
| Laurens Ehrmann | .... | cg artist: BUF | |
| Vanessa Fourgeaud | .... | visual effects producer: BUF | |
| John Lee | .... | visual effects editor | |
| Eddy Moussa | .... | cg artist: BUF | |
| Laurent Panissier | .... | cg artist: BUF | |
| Clement Rambach | .... | software development: BUF | |
| Michel Samreth | .... | cg artist: BUF | |
| Scott Shapiro | .... | visual effects producer | |
| Vanesse Simon | .... | visual effects producer: BUF (as Simon Vanesse) | |
| Janek Sirrs | .... | visual effects consultant | |
| Mathilde Tollec | .... | cg artist: BUF | |
| Olivier Dumont | .... | on-set supervisor: BUF (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Joni Avery | .... | stunt double: Olivia | |
| Mike Avery | .... | utility stunts | |
| Rick Avery | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Meegan Godfrey | .... | stunt double: Julia | |
| Steve Hart | .... | stunt double: Cutter | |
| David Hugghins | .... | stunt rigger | |
| Michael Hugghins | .... | stunt rigger | |
| Paul Lacovara | .... | stunt double: Borden | |
| Brian Machleit | .... | stunt double: Angier Test | |
| Rick Marcus | .... | stunt double: Angier | |
| Thom Williams | .... | stunt warder | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Hans Bjerno | .... | director of photography: Colorado aerial unit | |
| Jose Deleon | .... | camera technician: SpaceCam, Colorado aerial unit (as Jose DeLeon) | |
| François Duhamel | .... | still photographer | |
| Rod Farley | .... | best boy grip (as Roderick G. Farley) | |
| Craig Fikse | .... | steadicam operator | |
| Ray Garcia | .... | key grip | |
| Antonio V. Garrido | .... | dolly grip (as Tony Garrido) | |
| Anthony Gaudioz | .... | additional camera operator (as Tony Gaudioz) | |
| Cory Geryak | .... | chief lighting technician | |
| Bob Hall | .... | first assistant camera | |
| Michael Herron | .... | video assist operator | |
| Peter Krouse | .... | camera intern | |
| Jerry L. Marshall | .... | best boy rigging grip | |
| Daniel C. McFadden | .... | loader (as Dan McFadden) | |
| Charlie McIntyre | .... | rigging gaffer (as Charles H. McIntyre) | |
| Blake Pike | .... | rigging key grip | |
| Philip Shanahan | .... | second assistant camera | |
| Cricket Sloat | .... | rigging electric best boy | |
| Larry Sushinski | .... | assistant chief lighting technician | |
| Stephen Vaughan | .... | still photographer | |
| Curtis A. Andrews Jr. | .... | lighting technician (uncredited) | |
| Eric M. Davis | .... | lighting technician (uncredited) | |
| Anthony Donati | .... | rigging set lighting technician (uncredited) | |
| Charles Ehrlinger | .... | grip (uncredited) | |
| Matt Floyd | .... | rigging grip (uncredited) | |
| David Fordham | .... | grip (uncredited) | |
| Michael Franco | .... | electrician: fixtures (uncredited) | |
| Michael Franco | .... | rigging electrician (uncredited) | |
| Sheila Greene | .... | rigging electrician (uncredited) | |
| Joe Guzman | .... | grip (uncredited) | |
| Jeffrey A. Johnson | .... | grip (uncredited) | |
| Christopher J. Lama | .... | electrical rigging technician (uncredited) | |
| Damon Liebowitz | .... | electrician (uncredited) | |
| Keith Morgan | .... | set lighting technician (uncredited) | |
| Dara Norman | .... | lighting technician (uncredited) | |
| Jason Puliti | .... | electrician (uncredited) | |
| Cricket Sloat | .... | assistant chief lighting technician (uncredited) | |
| Mike Visencio | .... | rigging set lighting technician (uncredited) | |
| Paul Wilkowsky | .... | grip (uncredited) | |
| Brian Woronec | .... | lighting technician (uncredited) | |
Casting Department | |||
| Jennifer Cram | .... | casting assistant | |
| Barbara Harris | .... | adr voice casting | |
| Rich King | .... | extras casting | |
| Marlo Tiede | .... | casting assistant (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Anthony Almaraz | .... | costumer | |
| Shandra Beri | .... | costumer | |
| Tom Cummins | .... | set costumer | |
| Carrie Dacre | .... | production assistant: costume department | |
| Monica Haynes-Nino | .... | costumer (as Monica Haynes) | |
| Jose S. Hernandez | .... | costumer (as Jose Hernandez) | |
| Marci R. Johnson | .... | costumer (as Marci Johnson) | |
| Jo Kissack | .... | costumer | |
| April Krueger | .... | costumer | |
| Donna Marcione Pollack | .... | costumer | |
| Robert Q. Mathews | .... | costume supervisor | |
| Dennis McCarthy | .... | costumer | |
| Toni Kehaulani Reed | .... | set costumer | |
| Kenn Smiley | .... | key costumer | |
| Tricia Yoo | .... | costumer | |
| Michele Flynn | .... | head costume ager/dyer (uncredited) | |
| Christopher Koelsch | .... | costumer (uncredited) | |
| Michael Welch | .... | costumer (uncredited) | |
| Tim Wilson | .... | costumer (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Charles Harrison | .... | post production assistant | |
| John Lee | .... | first assistant editor | |
| David Orr | .... | color timer | |
| Laura Rindner | .... | assistant editor | |
| Scott Wesley Ross | .... | assistant editor | |
| Mary Beth Smith | .... | negative cutter: Buena Vista Negative Cutting | |
| Donald Likovich | .... | assistant editor (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Sandy DeCrescent | .... | orchestra contractor | |
| Alex Gibson | .... | music editor | |
| Tom Hardisty | .... | score recordist | |
| David Hoskins | .... | music programmer | |
| Alan Meyerson | .... | score recorded and mixed by | |
| Blake Neely | .... | orchestra conductor | |
| Dana Niu | .... | orchestrations | |
| Peter Rotter | .... | orchestra contractor | |
| Greg Vines | .... | assistant engineer (as Gregg Vines) | |
| Matthew J. Ward | .... | technical assistant (as Matt Ward) | |
| Booker White | .... | music preparation: Walt Disney Music Library | |
| Hans Zimmer | .... | executive music producer | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Phil Helman | .... | transportation local captain: Colorado (as Phillip W. Helman) | |
| Maxwell R. Johnson II | .... | transportation co-captain | |
| Tommy Tancharoen | .... | transportation coordinator | |
| Tom Whelpey | .... | transportation co-captain (as Tom Whelpley) | |
| Ted Basso | .... | production van driver operator (uncredited) | |
| Audrey A. Conrad | .... | transportation office coordinator (uncredited) | |
| Robert Garcia Jr. | .... | driver (uncredited) | |
| Tim Whisenant | .... | driver: Hugh Jackman (uncredited) | |
| Dean Winton | .... | driver (uncredited) | |
| Bonnie Yamahiro | .... | driver (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Jess Brackenburry | .... | animal wrangler: cats (as Jesse Brackenbury) | |
| Allan Bragg | .... | stand-in: Mr. Caine (as Alan Bragg) | |
| Jeffrey Caruso | .... | assistant production coordinator | |
| Jennifer Clark | .... | first assistant accountant | |
| Clayton Cogswell | .... | production assistant | |
| Jesse Cole | .... | key assistant location manager | |
| Jareth Costello | .... | accounting clerk | |
| Kim Crabb | .... | key assistant location manager | |
| Jeanie Daniels | .... | post production accountant | |
| Scott Davis | .... | animal trainer: horses | |
| Jim Dirker | .... | helicopter pilot: Aircam National Helicopters, Colorado aerial unit | |
| Colin Dunning | .... | production assistant | |
| Russ Fega | .... | location manager | |
| Beau Foster | .... | production assistant | |
| Meghan C. Fraser | .... | wrangler: cats | |
| Karen M. Fuchs | .... | payroll accountant | |
| Steve Gehrke | .... | script supervisor (as Steven R. Gehrke) | |
| Susan Hegarty | .... | dialect coach: Mr. Bowie | |
| Gregory D. Hemstreet | .... | production accountant (as Greg Hemstreet) | |
| Henry Humphreys | .... | first aid | |
| Andrew Jablonski | .... | assistant accountant | |
| Ricky Jay | .... | technical advisor: magic | |
| Nick LeClaire | .... | production assistant: Colorado | |
| Parker D. Lemire | .... | production assistant: Colorado | |
| Jim Lindsey | .... | stand-in: Mr. Bale | |
| Mike MacCuish | .... | assistant accountant | |
| Rob McCabe | .... | stand-in: Mr. Jackman | |
| Scott Michaels | .... | production assistant: Colorado | |
| Benjamin Morehead | .... | assistant: Mr. Nolan (as Benjamin T. Morehead) | |
| Guy Morrison | .... | assistant location manager | |
| M. Michelle Nishikawa | .... | assistant: Mr. Schlissel | |
| Craig Okeson | .... | production assistant: Colorado | |
| Anthony Penido | .... | first aid | |
| Katherine Pittman | .... | wrangler: cats (as Cathy Pittman) | |
| Jess Platt | .... | dialect coach: Mr. Jackman | |
| Erin A. Ramos | .... | production secretary | |
| Lawra Robertson | .... | assistant: Mr. Jackman | |
| Lee Roeser | .... | wrangler: cats | |
| Joshua Scheer | .... | production assistant | |
| Peter Scheer | .... | production assistant | |
| Michelle Schrauwers | .... | production assistant | |
| Cheryl Shawver | .... | animal trainer: cats, Animal Actors of Hollywood | |
| Cody Smith | .... | wrangler: horses | |
| Jimmy Smith | .... | craft service | |
| Phil Smith | .... | animal trainer: horses and birds, Phil Smith Animal Renters | |
| Beatrice Springborn | .... | assistant: Mr. Ryder | |
| Cindy Taylor | .... | production assistant (as Cindy A. Taylor) | |
| Tim Territo | .... | production liaison: Colorado | |
| Amy Treadwell | .... | stand-in: Ms. Johansson | |
| Victoria Vopni | .... | wrangler: horses (as Victoria M. Vopni) | |
| Michael Weber | .... | technical advisor: magic | |
| Shawn Williamson | .... | production assistant | |
| Terrence B. Zinn | .... | production assistant | |
| Eric Binns | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Ron Bottitta | .... | adr voice (uncredited) | |
| Doug Burch | .... | adr voice (uncredited) | |
| Brian Clark | .... | rigging medic (uncredited) | |
| Brian De Esch | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Alexandra Ducocq | .... | executive assistant: hugh jackman (uncredited) | |
| Rebecca Edelson | .... | script clearance administrator (uncredited) | |
| Lily Garcia | .... | additional production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Carolyn Harris | .... | production executive (uncredited) | |
| Patrick Holland | .... | additional voices (uncredited) | |
| Nicholas Hosking | .... | adr voice group (uncredited) | |
| Robert Lamkin | .... | caterer (uncredited) | |
| Matt Lombardo | .... | additional set production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Peter Madamba | .... | script researcher (uncredited) | |
| Ossie Mair | .... | adr voice (uncredited) | |
| Erich A. Muller | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Skyler Ng | .... | production assistant (uncredited) | |
| Jordan Schmidt | .... | location scout (uncredited) | |
| John Trujillo | .... | layout board (uncredited) | |
Thanks | |||
| David Copperfield | .... | the producers wish to thank | |
| Derek DelGaudio | .... | the producers wish to thank | |
| Dan Sasaki | .... | the producers wish to thank | |
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| The Illusionist | There Will Be Blood | Mulholland Dr. | The Mist | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
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Director Christopher Nolan has a proclivity for warped narratives (Memento) and in The Prestige he serves up a deliciously twisty tale, puffed full of magic theatricality and inventive cinematic devices. With his remarkably sleight-of-hand direction, he spins the tale of two rivaling magicians in Victorian-era London, creating a cerebrally stimulating 2 hour long mise-en-scene in which the audience is literally left guessing and gasping at its rare uniqueness through magic acts and bitter behind-the-stage intrigue.
The final pay-off of any magic act the prestige is of the essence, and preluding it is the pledge, followed by the turn. Together these three key components are slotted in unique positions in 'The Prestige's arrestingly clever script but it is the titular act that propels the film. The pledge introduces our main characters: magicians Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) and Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) in turn-of-the-century London and we see how their friendship abruptly becomes a fully-fledged rivalry and hostility with a magic act gone horribly wrong in front of an audience. There is a death, and it lights the fuse of an onslaught of reel revelations and the one-upmanship that will ensue between the two competitors. 'The turn' comes to offers twists by the bucketload in the form of love-interests, and technologically marvelous magic acts. I gasped, I scratched my head, I watched on in awe. No description will do it justice.
The prestige as the end note to the show in which, for example, the disappearer reappears to the deafening applause of the crowd is so meticulously composed in the film through foreshadowing and fractured chronology that rigorously intersects, intertwines, intercuts, fast-forwards, rewinds and replays key parts of the story that the whole spectacle floors you. Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan have worked out a template script that is more twisty and turny than a mountain road and for that reason I am very reluctant to spoil even the slightest detail of the story of 'The Prestige' of all of its acts, in fact. If you are shaking your head thinking a clever twist ending does not make the movie (and I agree), know that this is not a "gotcha"-kind of Shyamalan trick where you want to stop the film, rewind it and watch it meticulous foreshadowing up to the cheap pay-off, but a tightly-written ever-shifting hall of mirrors with so many intrinsic twists that on your way home you will still be scratching you head and searching for clues.
Our two magicians are perfectly-cast with Hugh Jackman capturing the showy, slick, ambition-driven nature of his character Angier in contrast to Bale's technique-driven purist who may be well on his way to perfecting the craft, but lacks the 'Abracadabra' entertainment value. I had always crowned the latter the more capable actor of the two, but the fact is that Jackman performs just as well in the film. Having said that, Borden has more layers to his complex, contradictory (keyword) persona than the flashy, greedy Angier which perhaps begs more weight from the actor behind the role, shifting more demand on Christian Bale. The sad fact of it is that neither of these two men are likable characters and elicit nothing more than temporary sympathy. However, the secrecy with which the intricate story approaches them makes it impossible for the viewer to slot them in protagonist vs. antagonist positions, and indeed they are given almost the exact same screen-time and voice-over narration throughout, a subtle and brilliant accolade of Nolan's.
To further evaluate the cast of The Prestige, David Bowie and Michael Caine undoubtedly merit a great deal of praise for supporting the two moody, unlikeable leading men. It is a crying shame then that Scarlett Johansson always an incapable actress except for the rare occasions in which she plays a sultry American vixen (Match Point) performs so badly in the role of Olivia Wenscombe, a magic assistant pending between Borden and Angier. Here she is actually given a very good and important character who is not necessarily bad like the rest, but botches her interpretation by giving an unspeakably hammy London accent. Nolan picks up on her shortcomings as an actress, and resorts to boob-shots en masse. This he should be fully entitled to do as a director, for a beautiful diversion will always camouflage the process and any of its potential missteps, as Michael Caine's character puts forward.
With Scarlett as a pleasurable paint-job, twists by the bucket-load and flashy magic tricks as windowdressing to a solid mystery film, there is little or no need to delve deeper into the psyches of its characters to keep our attention. Yet this is done, and superbly so, by Christopher Nolan. 'Antihero' gets a whole new spin to it in The Prestige with two friends-turned-rivals so bitterly poised on the brink of obsession of outshining the other that succeeding with the ultimate 'prestige' of magic followed by applause is enough to drive them to murder, bankruptcy, deceit and sabotage. Borden simply wants to be better on a technical level, while Angier wants the public's recognition and wide-spread fame. Their ambition is in effect largely the same: create the definitive deceptive illusion and do it through any means necessary.
'The Prestige' is a majestic film that nevertheless spans across too long a running time. Condensation would have done wonders and surely bumped it up a notch, as would underpinning some humour at one or two points (it is VERY gloomy), but it truly is a great cinematic achievement and a shoe-in for my top 10 of 1006, and easily the most inventive film I have seen in years. I am eagerly anticipated director Christopher Nolan's next sleight-of-hand direction, and it looks like the closest is The Dark Knight (2008).
9 out of 10