The Illusionist
Starring:
Edward
Norton, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti, Rufus Sewell
Running
time: 110 minutes
Year:
2006
Directed
By: Neil
Burger
Written
By: Neil
Burger
The
Illusionist fights a losing battle from the minute
you press play. The automatic problem it has is that it is so similar to The Prestige that you instantly compare
them. Unfortunately for The Illusionist,
The Prestige is such a fantastic film; meaning from the start The Illusionist doesn't live up to
expectations. I know you shouldn't really compare films but these two came out
within six months of each other, both are period setting, and both about the
art of illusion and magic. The
Illusionist was released first, so maybe if you saw it first you will like
it, however for those who saw it second will only be disappointed.
The
Illusionist follows an illusionist called Eisenheim
(Norton). As a child he fell in love with a young girl named Sophie. Their
friendship was frowned upon due to their substantial class differences, so he
found himself running from town to perfect a new found talent; magic. Fifteen
years later he returns to Vienna to perform a new magic show. When he asks for
a member of the audience as a volunteer, the new fiancée to the Crown Prince
(Sewell) steps forward, she turns out to be none other than Sophie (Biel).
Instantly their love for each other comes flooding back, and Eisenheim begins
to mock her fiancée using his tricks. Knowing that Eisenheim is attempting to
win his girls affections, the Crown Prince attempts to find out his secrets and
shut him down using Chief Inspector Uhl (Giamatti). As Sophie begins to choose
Eisenheim over the Crown Prince, Eisenheim must devise a plan to leave with his
girl, especially since the Crown Prince is known for indulging in murder when
he doesn't get what he wants.
I don't want to delve into too much detail of the
plot as I don't want to give away whether or not Eisenheim is a master
trickster or a man with supernatural power. The whole second half of the film
Eisenheim raises spirits, and changes into a man of few words. Is it actually
an illusion? This second half is where the film seems to run out of steam
though. The film is based on a short story and it is very noticeable that it is
as the film does begin to wear thin. The characters aren't very well developed
and the plot seems very flat. Also the final twist to the film was very
predictable, and came around all too easily. The characters spent the whole
film unaware of what was going on and then all of a sudden someone understands
it.
The acting was very average. Norton was not his
usual self. His delivery of lines seemed to lack tension, but that could have
been due to his accent he was putting on. In the second half however, where he
mutters minimal words, he is much better as his eyes and facial expressions do
the talking. Biel was average and shows that she can do period films as opposed
to just teen romantic comedies. Giamatti is in first gear as was Rufus Sewell.
I think overall the entire film was a disappointment really, but I think my
problem is me comparing it to The
Prestige, because I have to say this is nowhere near as good.
Some of the illusions are impressive, especially
when Eisenheim removes his gloves, throws them in the air and they turn into
crows. These tricks are all impressive but others, where he manipulates
reflections in a mirror, have no explanation and it seems a little too
unrealistic. This is where I much preferred The
Prestige as at least they explained how the tricks worked, here he just
raised spirits, and we never know how or why. I suppose maybe a magician never
tells his secret.
I was expecting much more than what I ultimately
got. I believe that I may have been harsh on this due to my love for
Christopher Nolan's period magician piece; however this film could still have
been as good if it had managed to make me believe in it. Unfortunately it did
not. With a film exploring a plot like this I at least expect a fantastic
pull-the-rug-from-underneath-me twist, but I'm afraid the ending seemed an easy
way out and was guessed at the half way point. Regrettably The Illusionist failed to wow me.
2.5
/ 5
Next film to review: THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
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