Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, two turn-of-the-century magicians whose friendship sours after a botched onstage illusion results in death. Angier blames Borden for the tragedy, sparking a game of one-upsmanship that borders on insanity. As their fame and talent grow, so does their obsessive battle to injure and outdo each other.
Each magician becomes captivated by a disappearing act called "The Transported Man," and each goes to great lengths to uncover its secret. Angier, thinking Borden has led him to a key development, travels to America in search of the expertise of real-life physicist Nikola Tesla (played by David Bowie -- yes, that David Bowie).
And because this is Hollywood, after all, various lovers come and go, each ruined by the vengeful world of magic.
Except it's not so simple. Even though the story is intriguing, Nolan still chooses to jack up the gimmickry, "Memento"-style. As a result, scenes are shuffled out of chronological order -- so much so that the movie becomes something of a puzzle to solve.
Essentially, "The Prestige" serves as a metaphor for the subject it covers. The story arc unfolds as one big magic trick, complete with a pledge, turn and prestige -- the set-up, deception and "ta-da!" reveal of a magic trick, as we learn from sage insider Cutter (a scene-stealing Michael Caine).
The movie-as-magic gimmick, however, often gets in the way of a coherent story. Yes, it's clever -- but it's also kind of confusing. Nolan could have unscrambled a few of the scenes and still had a handsome, brooding film on his hands.
That said, "The Prestige" is packaged prettily, with an appropriately dark color palette and theatrical staging. There is an attractive attention to detail, including a rotating assortment of costumes and glue-on beards that the magicians wear when wreaking havoc at each other's shows.
The burgeoning rivalry is a pleasure to watch, because, as tricksters by trade, Angier and Borden wage a battle of satisfyingly clever deceptions. It's a lot of razzle-dazzle, and it almost pays off in the end when Nolan aims to bowl over the audience with one final twist.
Angier is the magician with the terrific showmanship, and Jackson effectively uses his theater-honed charisma to transform from sassy onstage performer to obsessive off-stage rogue.
As Borden, the technical genius, Bale continues his recent chameleon act, his weight falling somewhere between where it was for his emaciated role in 2004's "The Machinist" and the bulked-up superhero part in "Batman Begins" last year.
It-girl Scarlett Johansson drops by as the sexed-up assistant who is enlisted by each magician to steal the other's secrets. Once a refreshing star of the indie screen, lately Johansson has begun to teeter towards overexposure. It's unfortunate that her earthy sex appeal -- which used to be an unusual commodity -- has been rendered generic with every new major studio movie she signs onto.
But the acting is almost an afterthought given all the twisting and turning going on. And though the big reveal -- the titular prestige -- is far from a doozy, the pledge and turn are plenty entertaining.
