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The Prestiege
2006 Directed by : Christopher Nolan
So, haven't done a review for a while, might be a bit rusty, but here goes.
The Prestiege follows the story of two magicians' quest for the ultimate illusion/trick, and their relentless pursuit of one- up- manship, no matter what the cost, personal or professional.
All the ingredients were here, a director whom I greatly admire, two talented actors in the lead roles, a strong supporting cast and a great story, and although I enjoyed the film, there seemed to be something missing.
I can't quite put my finger on it, Nolan is a master of tightly wound dark thrillers, he manages to make films that have many twists and turns still watchable, whilst having complex morale issues at the heart of the story, it's good, but it's not quite Memento or Insomnia.
My only small gripe is Christian Bale's cockney accent, it's the same as the one he used in Reign of Fire, it's woefull and comes across as put on, and unnatural. Apart from the dodgy accent, Bale is fine, but for me it's more Jackman's film, as his character is better fleshed out and appears to have more screen time. David Bowie's cameo is reasonable, again a slightly dodgy accent, Michael Caine is fine as is Scarlett Johansen, but ultimately the film relies on the chemistry between Bale and Jackman.
Perhaps I'll need to revisit the Prestiege again at a later date, I wasn't blown away by Insomnia on first viewing, but enjoyed it more on a second viewing, a good film that should please most film fans, and worthy of your hard earned cash.
Rating 3.5/5
2006 Directed by : Christopher Nolan
So, haven't done a review for a while, might be a bit rusty, but here goes.
The Prestiege follows the story of two magicians' quest for the ultimate illusion/trick, and their relentless pursuit of one- up- manship, no matter what the cost, personal or professional.
All the ingredients were here, a director whom I greatly admire, two talented actors in the lead roles, a strong supporting cast and a great story, and although I enjoyed the film, there seemed to be something missing.
I can't quite put my finger on it, Nolan is a master of tightly wound dark thrillers, he manages to make films that have many twists and turns still watchable, whilst having complex morale issues at the heart of the story, it's good, but it's not quite Memento or Insomnia.
My only small gripe is Christian Bale's cockney accent, it's the same as the one he used in Reign of Fire, it's woefull and comes across as put on, and unnatural. Apart from the dodgy accent, Bale is fine, but for me it's more Jackman's film, as his character is better fleshed out and appears to have more screen time. David Bowie's cameo is reasonable, again a slightly dodgy accent, Michael Caine is fine as is Scarlett Johansen, but ultimately the film relies on the chemistry between Bale and Jackman.
Perhaps I'll need to revisit the Prestiege again at a later date, I wasn't blown away by Insomnia on first viewing, but enjoyed it more on a second viewing, a good film that should please most film fans, and worthy of your hard earned cash.
Rating 3.5/5