Christopher Nolan
The Prestige

In the late 1800s London, two young aspiring magicians are pupils of a charismatic engineer and illusionist, portrayed by Michael Caine. During a performance, one of them, Christian Bale (known for 'American Psycho', 'The Machinist') causes the death of the other's wife, Hugh Jackman (...ehm... 'X-Man', 'Van Helsing'....). Driven by a desire for revenge, an obsessive rivalry begins between the two, involving attempted murders, sabotage, and magic art competitions.

The quest for ever more astonishing tricks will lead them to confront each other at the edge of physics and the paranormal. Christian Bale, stage name 'The Professor', presents 'The Human Teleportation', a trick in which the illusionist teleports in half a second to the opposite side of the stage. The magician Hugh Jackman, 'The Great Danton', in an attempt to perfect the trick, travels to America to seek the help of none other than Nikola Tesla! Who is conducting secret studies on teleportation. The Croatian scientist is perfectly portrayed by David Bowie. At this point, the themes of the film become broader than initially expected, and in the second part, metaphysical questions about the sense of 'self' and identity are introduced quite casually, though not overly coarsely.

The director Christopher Nolan, together with his brother Jonathan, delivers a truly substantial screenplay, rich in narrative themes and plot twists. It's one of those films that combines a compelling sequence of events, with excellent set designs, and good performances from the actors, although to be honest, the main leads are not exactly spectacular, and the quality difference with the brilliant Michael Caine is evident. The cast also includes Scarlett Johansson, in the role of the assistant-lover of both. A somewhat overshadowed role, but one that introduces (really icing on the cake..) the theme of family, fidelity, and the relationship between professional and family life.

Upon further analysis, the film might also appear as a big mix, but the director is truly skilled at depicting themes with lightness; briskly moving through the events with fluidity, without burdensome pretentiousness; a choice as correct as it is necessary not to disorient the viewer.

The virtues and potential limitations of the film lie precisely in this somewhat undefined and arguably somewhat timid narrative register. Subjective tastes aside, Nolan's film can be considered a perfect example of a modern blockbuster for the general public.