The Prestige

If you are a fan of Hugh Jackman ("X-Men" series, "The Fountain," "Swordfish" and "Kate and Leopold"), Christian Bale ("Batman Begins," "Rescue Dawn," "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" and "3:10 to Yuma") or Scarlett Johannson ("Match Point," "The Other Boleyn Girl," "The Nanny Diaries" and "The Horse Whisperer") you may already have seen this movie. I wasn't particularly interested, based on the reviews, but my friend Scott Bramlett did the trailers and I never saw them in the multiplex, so I thought I'd get the DVD from the library. Quite often, the trailers are part of the extras on DVDs...

This end of the Nineteenth Century story also includes performances by Michael Caine ("Miss Congeniality" and "Alfie") and... as Nicholas Tesla, Davie Bowie ("Basquiat" and "Labyrinth")!

Jackman and Bale are rival magicians who had formerly been best friends until Jackman blames Bale for the death of his wife during a performance. Over the course of their rivalry, they "share" a magician's assistant (Johannson) and spend MUCH effort trying to top each other's best trick, sabotaging each other at every opportunity. The production values are top drawer, the costumes are great and the performances are just fine. However....

The story is contrived, the "reveal" is contrived, and the conclusion is contrived (and repugnant!). Not only that, the trailer wasn't included! Aarghhh!