Illusionist balances magic, love

October 2, 2006 —

Wow, The Prestige was a great movie! Wait, The Prestige hasn't even been released yet. So what movie did I go see? The Illusionist? That's strange.

Anyone keeping up with the current movie season should be able to easily see where my confusion stems from. What are the odds that the fall season would treat moviegoers to not one, but two films about turn-of-the-century magicians?

Honestly, when is the last time we got even one motion picture about magicians?

But despite having no way to see The Prestige until it actually comes to theaters, I will say this - the two movies are nothing alike. It was obvious the moment the trailer for The Prestige started playing before The Illusionist. (Was this simply a coincidence? I hardly think so.)

The Illusionist is based on a short story by Steven Millhauser about Eisenheim, an audience-pleasing magician-turned-conjurer who returns home to Vienna to perform sold-out shows in a spacious theatre.

But at the heart of every great tale of a magician is a love story. Edward Norton's Eisenheim returns to Vienna not just to benefit his career. No, he returns to claim his childhood love, Sophie (Jessica Biel), a woman who is now engaged to the Crown Prince.

So while The Prestige appears to center around two rival magicians attempting to outwit and even destroy one another, The Illusionist is more about trying to recapture lost love.

The magic is just there to move the plot along.

So if you are looking for jaw-dropping visuals, perhaps this movie is not for you. However, if you enjoy Edward Norton and Paul Giamatti (as the hapless Chief Inspector Uhl), then this one is worth seeing. Both actors turn out fine performances in this well-paced drama. And Jessica Biel surprises with an adequate performance of her own.

The cinematography is beautiful as well, and every scene is just dark enough for this dark movie.

The only fault of the movie is the somewhat predictable ending. I will not spoil what happens, but keep this in mind - Norton is playing an illusionist. Anyone schooled in the art of M. Night Shyamalan should see this one coming. But it is not a stupid copout ending like that of The Village. This ending is worthy of the rest of the film.

And like every good magician, this movie explains just enough without giving away the real secrets. This is admirable in a time when everything needs to be neatly wrapped up to please audiences. Still, when leaving The Illusionist, you might find yourself asking the question, "But how did he do that?"

Maybe The Prestige will be more generous to those who hate mystery. I sure hope not. Giving away too much would be breaking the magician's code. Or the director of magician movies' code.

Regardless of what happens with that other movie, I will still look fondly at The Illusionist. It's a refreshing take on the normal love story, with a few neat tricks. hidden up its sleeve.