johnlinkmovies

My march toward 200 rankings doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to gravitate towards old favorites. THE PRESTIGE has been one of my great embarrassments, for this marked the first time I saw it. From all I heard, it would instantly jump on my classics list. So… did it? Oh, SPOILERS BELOW

I watched THE PRESTIGE (2006) on 9.23.10. It was my first viewing of the film. TRAILER HERE

What a fantastic script. This is a twist film from the minds of the Nolan Brothers, who are undeniably among their generation’s very best writers. I actually had an inkling toward what both twists would be, but the landing was so much stronger than my initial suspicions as the film unfolded.

Some suggest that the film cheats because (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT) the film becomes a sci-fi flick by the end. I can see where some feel cheated by this, but I personally believe that the strength of the characters makes it such that this sort of twist didn’t negatively effect the enjoyability of the movie.

The acting, here, is top notch. I can’t imagine the work Christian Bale must have put in. I immediately want to watch this film again to view his performance(s). And, for me, this was the best performance I’ve seen out of both Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson. It was also fun to see David Bowie in this as Tesla.

I’ve been reading, in the short time since I watched it, the people who think that this isn’t a sci-fi film at all. They suppose that the hats and cats are rigged, and that Jackman is conned. They think all the ‘other’ Jackmans are doubles, and that Jackman lies to Bale at the end. I’m not ready to go that far for two reasons: 1) The Nolans don’t necessarily need reality to be our true reality in film. With the Batman films and, most recently, INCEPTION, they have no problem creating a reality which needs to be ‘real’ to the world of the film and its characters only. 2) I’m not sure how Jackman possibly gets that many doubles without anyone noticing.

But regardless, the Nolans have again succeeded in making a film which makes people want to talk about it. That in an of itself is an accomplishment in today’s one-and-done world. Personally, I’ll see anything they do. Instant classic? I think it may take another viewing to solidify that. But I’m not going to hesitate to say that it easily cracks a top 20 in my rankings thus far.

Oh, and this is Bale’s own fault, but I can’t watch the scene of him yelling at his wife without thinking of the infamous Terminator Bale rant.

SCORES

FILM: 8; MOVIE: 8: ACTING: 10; WRITING: 9 (What is this?)

8+8+10+9+0=35

FINAL SCORE: 8.75

~ by johnlink00 on September 24, 2010.

Posted in johnlink favorite flicks, ~ P ~, ~~~ 2006 ~~~
Tags: suspense