The Prestige (2006)

The Prestige is a 2006 psychological thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay adapted by his brother Jonathan from Christopher Priest's 1995 novel of the same name.

Directed by Christopher Nolan. With Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine. After a tragic accident, two stage magicians engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.

In 1878, two young stage magicians clash in a darkened salon during the course of a fraudulent seance. From this moment on, their lives become webs of deceit and exposure, secrets and revelations, as they feud to outwit and destroy one another. Their rivalry takes them both to the peak of their careers, but with terrible consequences.

Amazon.com: The Prestige: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie, Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis, Piper Perabo, Christopher Nolan, Christopher Priest, Jonathan Nolan: Movies & TV

Christopher Nolan's "The Prestige" has just about everything I require in a movie about magicians, except ... the Prestige. We are instructed at the outset, in a briefing by Michael Caine, that every magic trick consists of three acts: (1) the Pledge, in which a seemingly real situation is set up, (2) the Turn, in which the initial reality is challenged, and (3) the Prestige, where all is set right again. An example, one not used in the film, would be (1) a woman, and it's always a woman, except with Penn and Teller, who is placed into a box; (2) the box is sawed in half, and the halves separated, and (3) magically, the "victim" is restored in one piece.

Set in London around the turn of the 20th century, The Prestige (2006) is a film starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, and Michael Caine. Also appearing is ...

Metacritic

Throughout the movie we’re told a number of things. 1. The secret impresses no one. The trick you use it for is everything.

A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences.

In a world of magic, how do you know what is real and what is just an illusion? Christopher Nolan’s 2006 film ‘The Prestige’ is a thriller drama that revolves around what it takes to fully achieve fame through magic and deception.

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