The Illusionist


3/4

Starring: Edward Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell

Rated PG-13 for Some Sexuality and Violence
Magic in our world is typically a sleight-of-hand.  The magician shows your something normal, but through an act of deception that your eyes don't catch, he does something that is normally impossible (I'll admit, Michael Caine explains this a lot better than I can in "The Prestige," a movie that is quite similar to "The Illusionist").

A filmmaker must do the same thing in a mystery: he must show us something that we believe is real (when it really isn't), but when he finally shows us all of his cards, we must be able to see that it all fits together.  In general, flawed movies of usually succeed at the former, but fail at the latter, using a deus ex machina to tie everything together.  "The Illusionist" is different in the sense that everything makes sense at the end and in retrospect, but Burger's sleight-of-hand is sloppy throughout the film.  We know what Burger is showing us cannot possibly be the whole truth.

Eisenheim (Edward Norton) is a popular magician in Vienna around the turn of the century.  He has many fans, including the local police inspector, Uhl (Paul Giamatti).  The only one who doesn't seem to like the magician is the Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell).  Leopold has it out for Eisenheim, even before he realizes that his fiancĂ©e, Sophie (Jessica Biel) is in love with the magician.

The acting is solid all around.  Edward Norton, easily one of the best actors of his age group, is terrific as the aloof and mysterious Eisenheim (although he is slightly too emotive in his scenes with Biel, but I'm willing to forgive).  Paul Giamatti is great as Uhl.  He's torn between supporting the man he admires, and the prince, who holds his future in his hands.  The real shining star is Jessica Biel, who is amazing as Sophie.  The TV-star turned Scream Queen has a nice chemistry with Norton, and is good enough to hold her own against the likes of Rufus Sewell (one of my favorite under-recognized actors).

The film's cinematography is also a high point.  It's deeply atmospheric, and although there are times when it gets too dark, those moments are few.  Burger was trying to capture the feeling of the world's first moving pictures, and he succeeds.  The special effects are nifty and convincing, which is of course crucial for a movie like this.

There are definitely some problems, however.  Apart from the lackluster handling of the mystery aspects, there are some holes that are not plugged by the end of the story.  And there is a subplot about Leopold trying to overthrow his father that is mentioned once and dropped.

Comparisons to Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige" are not unwarranted.  Although Christopher Nolan's film is better, this film is worth a look for those who are interested.

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