Two rival magicians engage a deadly contest of wills in writer and director Christopher Nolan's carefully constructed but unfulfilling The Prestige, a Victorian-era vehicle starring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as dueling artists.
They meet as apprentices who are part of the act, two dashing young gentlemen seen through flashbacks. The multi-layered story traces their ongoing war through marriage, children and, primarily, competing magic shows. Shaded in a dark, muted gray, with flickering candles and with Michael Caine on hand as an old showman, Nolan, who created last year's sharp comics adaptation, Batman Begins, puts each prop in place. He forgets to say abracadabra.
During a performance one night, the third act—known as the prestige, or the grand finale—goes horribly wrong and distrust is planted between the two assistants, who break off into solo shows. For a long time, the antagonism generates interest. After a continual back and forth, it becomes clear that the pair are embroiled in a lifelong conflict driven by envy, not ability, and seeing petty obsession reach its logical conclusion is less than enigmatic, let alone entertaining.
