The Prestige

In preparation for Christopher Nolan's highly anticipated Tenet release this summer, I'm deciding to go back and check out many of his earlier films. 

Most of his resume I have seen before, including The Prestige, but I'm also aware of some films that I've never seen before (i.e. Insomnia). 

Even with The Prestige, I watched it at a time where I must not have been paying that much attention. With my first viewing, many many years ago, it didn't leave much of an impression on me. Though I constantly hear it referenced as some people's "favorite" Nolan film. 

I felt like I was missing something; I couldn't quite remember the fuller details. So I knew I needed to check it out again to really determine what my take on one of my favorite director's (let's be real, he's my favorite) films was. 

I'm glad I did. Though - by force ranking - I wouldn't have it as my "favorite" or even Top 3 - I do appreciate what The Prestige offers and it's a super interesting study of an evolving director one film before he set his career on fire with The Dark Knight. The classic Nolan elements are there, but "younger", if that makes any sense, not as forward and tall as they stand in some of his best films (i.e. Inception). It has the markings, much in the same way Batman Begins and Memento did of a soon-to-be-special filmmaker that would become one of the premiere directors in the industry. And if you think of it as the start of his run, something I wouldn't argue, it's a mightily impressive kickoff of a long list of impressive films. 

Nolan has become almost synonymous with time and/or Batman. If it's not about that Dark Knight, then he has become the master at manipulating and making us all think about time in different ways. Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk to a certain degree, and it looks like Tenet all have to do with that thing around us that passes with each moment. Even his earlier, Memento, is largely based around it. So in this way, the plot and twists around The Prestige are unique for him and in some ways, it feels like a distinctly different film in his past. No lesser for it, but just a noticeable difference. The plot here, aside from some disorienting "flash forwards" is pretty straight forward. Two magicians in Victoria-era England are obsessed with besting one another and having the best trick around. In any lesser hands, there are times where these antics almost come across as cartoonish and swapping out the original score for something that would be played over Loony Toons could make it a comedy. Regardless, the tension builds rather slowly until you begin to form opinions about each man Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Borden (Christian Bale). It's clear they're both obsessed with winning and the question eventually becomes: "How far will they go to be the best?". What we're left with is a semi-fantastical, but mind-blowing ending that comes with multiple twists, in classic Nolan fashion. Some work better than others and part of the ending depends on how willing you are to accept some fantasy-esque elements, but by and large it works well because A) the film has earned it and B) Nolan is at the helm. 

"I do say, good sir! These light here are in the ground!"

"This is the Greatest Showwww!"

We also owe a lot to the leads, Bale and Jackman, who make these men similar enough, but yet distinctly different. Jackman is the showman (a prequel to The Greatest Showman perhaps?) who has his life stolen from him. Bale is the better magician, but awful at selling his tricks. But he often has sly tricks of his own up his sleeve. For years they battle one another through manipulation and straight-forward assault but the back and forth is exciting to watch - even if I did find it a bit ridiculous from time to time (example: "Can I have a volunteer?" "Ah yes, you good, bearded sir!" [sees it's his opponent for the Nth time] "How could this happen again!? Curses!"]. 

The Prestige falters in only a couple areas upon this closer rewatch, and, I realize that it's hard to not compare to Nolan's other films - but it's worth pointing out. First, I found that the love triangles that continue to echo throughout were frustrating and seemed almost out of a soap opera. They do play into the story (some more than others), but at a point it just gets a bit obnoxious that all the women are there to be a plot/love device. Second, this film is absent a Hans Zimmer original score and Nolan without Hans Zimmer (or at least someone imitating him) is like cookies without milk or macaroni without cheese. It's "good", but there's definitely something missing. In The Prestige the original score is a whimper comparatively and doesn't do much to elevate the film, which is a shame because it could have been on another tier if it had. 

"No, no! After you Batman."
"Oi thanks, Wolvie."

I liked The Prestige as one of Nolan's early/mid-career films. It's less ambitious than what he aims for currently, but that doesn't mean it's less entertaining. More so than his best, it shows some of his faults, but by the end it all comes together in a nice bow that's captivating and fun. I often don't like films about magic because...well...it's not really magic on screen is it? Special effects can achieve anything. But here Nolan focuses on the competition and the inside workings of magic that make it far more interesting and through his explanation of the three components of a magic trick, The Pledge, The Turn, and The Prestige you come to realize that Nolan is cheekily signalling the playbook that he'll use to make some of the best movies in Hollywood. 

CONS

• Some of the flash-forwards at the beginning are disorienting and it took me ~15-20 minutes to realize the film was going in chronological order
• The love triangles/romance angles - while mostly necessary to the plot - became stale and haven't aged all that well. The women are there to move the plot forward
• Dearly misses a Hans Zimmer score
• Some of Nolan's editing troubles (cutting between scenes quickly/loosely) are apparent here

PROS

• Fun, engaging plot about magic and the obsession between two men to best each other
• Strong direction by Nolan and lots of signs of much more greatness to come
• Stands unique among his films as being neither Batman or time-based
• Wonderful twist(s) that are well earned and quite surprising. Comes together in a strong Nolan-esque final scenes that leave you talking
• Good performances by Bale and Jackman with equally strong supporting performances from Johansson and Caine

Retro Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10