For some, the story’s resort to genuinely inexplicable turns was a cheat, but that’s the whole point: the ‘prestige’ of the film is that it doesn’t obey the rules of the story you thought you were going to see.
The lines between science, magic and madness are blurred in this classy period thriller. It’s a tale of rival magicians going to extreme lengths to create the perfect trick, with a small but key role for David Bowie. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are the mismatched leads – both intense but in wildly contrasting ways – with great support from Michael Caine and Rebecca Hall in particular. For some, the story’s resort to genuinely inexplicable turns was a cheat, but that’s the whole point: the ‘prestige’ of the film is that it doesn’t obey the rules of the story you thought you were going to see.