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Christopher Nolan’s first movie since Batman is a distinct step back towards the narrative and feature style he exhibited in his first few major films. The already accomplished director of such gems as Memento and Insomnia left the thriller/drama genres for the comic book action of Batman and accomplished a rare feat, a comic movie with both high-flying action and dramatic/character complexity. With The Prestige, he has placed himself in the realm of upper-class dramatic thriller directors again. The Prestige is a drama about to warring magicians in the early 1900’s in which Nolan pilots an amazing cast (Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine and David Bowie). All performers give great performances, in fact, the first on screen appearance of David Bowie is truly electrifying. Still, the best part of this movie is how Nolan is able to piece together this non-linear narrative (written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan), with many twists and turns, and never seem to lose the audience or the thematic path of the movie.

The movie starts with Alfred Borden (Bale) on trial for the murder of Rupert Angier (Jackman) and then quickly shifts to a young Angier and Borden working together as stagehands for a magician and his engineer (Caine) and learning the craft for themselves. After a very grave and unfortunate event the two split ways and a war begins between the two. Borden is recognized as the better magician, but Angier has him beat in theatrical ability. As the movie goes on the two fall deeper and deeper into their obsession with beating the other and prove once and for all that life is harder as a magician than it is in organized crime. As the story progresses, the audience gets more and more revealed to them about the paths these two men took and things start to fall into place. At least they seem to fall into place and then, true to a magician’s world, you see something you’re not prepared for. Unfortunately for the characters involved the story doesn’t end like a successful magic trick is explained in the movie and everything is not brought back to normal. Luckily for the audience, this movie still delivers on many levels and is worth more than one viewing (it’ll be fun to look back and see all the clues to the twists that are given throughout the movie). One thing is for sure, upon leaving the theatre you will be impressed with the skill and timing Nolan displays in his deliberate pace, sequencing, blocking and directing of the movie.

Grade B+

P.S. The use of Thom Yorke’s Analyse in the end credits is also a great touch and worth sitting through.