reviewed by John Murphy 

The Prestige is a smart and stylish mind game. Directed by Christopher Nolan, best known for the ingenious narrative gambit of Memento (the story’s told backwards) and for the psychological complexity he brought to the Batman franchise with the Bale-starring Batman Begins, the Prestige is an enjoyable brain-bender/puzzle movie – smarter than your average popcorn flick, but just as diverting.  

Though less penetrating and thoughtful than Nolan’s previous work, the Prestige is a triumph of surface design and special effects – a sleek bit of cinematic sleight-of-hand that is entertaining enough during its running time even as it fades from memory post-viewing. The story follows two rival magicians in late-Victorian England as they attempt to out-do each other and create the “greatest magic trick ever seen.” This simple set-up gives rise to a series of head-scratching twists and turns, the plot repeatedly doubling back and somersaulting and new revelations throwing light on previous events.

Magic tricks are all about misdirection, and Nolan (on his way to becoming a consummate showman) loads the screen with delectable distractions: lavish period-detail, atmospheric lighting, menacing shadows, fog-bound streets, secret science experiments, lovely assistants (one played by Esquire’s “Sexiest Woman Alive,” Scarlett Johansson), and a pair of consummate performers: the extroverted, stage-trained Hugh Jackman and the introverted, white-hot intense Christian Bale. They contrast nicely, though Jackman’s more conventional screen presence puts him at a disadvantage when sharing the scene with Bale, or the wily veteran, Michael Caine, or David Bowie.