The Prestige

[YeahWhatever]

I saw this last night (the theater was packed), and it was so freakin good! It might be tied with Superman Returns as my favorite movie of the year so far. The twists and turns were really clever and the performances were all great. Oh, and Christian Bale was smoking hot in it and he didn't even have to take his shirt off.

 

[januaryguy]

will be watching it tomorrow...

 

[Mako247]

This was a good movie of obsession and revenge.
There are twists and turns throughout.
Even hotter than Cristan. Bale was Hugh Jackman

Also it had that rare quality that I look for in movies, a well written storyline...

 

[xyboyms]

Is it true it has a killer twist ending??? (Just say yes if it's true-don't say what it is I'm going to see it this week! LOL )

 

[Mako247]

yes to the twist ending

 

[RyzeAbove]

Bale and Jackman, my two favorites.

 

[bigpayback]

Yeah, I saw Epert and Roeper review it and they recommended it. It intrigues me because I want to find out what all the twists and turns are about. Plus, it also intrigues me that David Bowie has a cameo. LOL

 

[starlight70]

I just loved watching Hugh's naked chests. They are so fine.

 

[luminum]

I just read the spoiler and that is one fucking awesome movie plot! I'm thoroughly impressed!

 

[Jadin32]

Me & the Hub went to see this last night and both loved it!
We enjoy movies that have 'twists' or where you actually have to use your brain!
It took us a few minutes after it ended to review the movie to piece things together........"Okay, that's why he said that" etc.
Definetely a movie to watch twice!
Great cinematography too!
I loved all those black top hats on the snowy ground.....I have this thing for top hats!

Anyway one of the best flicks I've seen in months!

 

[justsimon]

I just saw it, too. It was great.

 

[Danugh]

Thank goodness for the search engine and that someone started a thread on this movie because, what the hell? i just saw it and i really want to like it but i dont fully get it. Granted i only saw it once but i am sure i missed something.

I mean i get the whole each magician had a twin but something isnt meshing with me.

And that last part who was that man in the last frame?


Its showing again at midnight so ill watch it again.


I just cant stand watching movies where i just dont get it. I think i will read the spoilers if i still don't get it after a second viewing.

Thats why i much preferred THE ILLUSIONIST because at the end everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow. All tricks revealed and a happy ending.


Ah well hopefully after the second viewing i get it.


Even though i didnt fully get THE PRESTIGE, of the parts i did get and understood, i felt it was really good. It should have gotten a screenplay nomination IMO.

I found it quite odd that Olivia kept saying, "you mean it today" i was like what the hell, you either love someone or you dont. You cant love someone on Monday and not on Tuesday but love them again on Wedneday. And we got the reveal.

In any event when did Alfred get his twin? I thought the machine was built just for Robert by that scientist man on the mountain.

And that means he really wasn't cheating on Olivia because it wasn't him, but its all so confusing anyways because when he duplicates who becomes the real person.


Come to think of it, THE PRESTIGE is a very disturbing movie because if he performed a 100 shows of the transporting man then that means he killed a 100 of himself. Thats the effed up part of it all. At least Alfred and his twin became friends and didnt kill each other. And why when he duplicates on town wants to kill the other, why cant they get along? LOL


And the Cutter was working with the Alfred twins the entire time? What deception.

And why did Roberts twin shoot him once he was created. This is so frustrating, i want to throw something, like they do on TV.



PS Hugh Jackman's body was hot. Loved his six pac.

 

[Danugh]

Ok i just saw it again and i get it now. It was so much better on second viewing and made more sense. There are still a couple things i didnt get LOL but i get it overall and i really like it although it really is pretty disturbing knowing how many Roberts had to die to do the trick.


Did you notice that the judge was played by "Miles" from THE NANNY? LOL


The screenplay is really clever, and you realize more on second viewing; thats why when Robert asked "Alfred" what kind of knot he tied he said he doesn't know, because he really didnt know as it was his brother that tied it that night Julia died.

I also liked it when Sarah's nephew said, "but where is his brother?" because one brother ended dieing to allow the other brother to live his live much like the birds.

I get the movie overall but i still dont know why Robert shot his duplicate in the flashback or did the duplicate shoot Robert? I don t know, but whoever shot who, i dont know why there was an instinct to kill the other, why couldn't they get along at first? LOL

And thats why when "Alfred" first met Sarah he was able to appear in her apartment because it wasn't him it was his brother LOL.

The framing of the murder was a bit contrived because Alfred to Alfred not to go back to the show and just forget about how the trick is done. So what if Alfred listened to his brother and not gone? But he did go so then you have to ask how did Robert know when to actually "die?" How did Robert know that Alfred went underneath the stage?


So Sarah got pregnant; but who was the father of the baby? Alfred or his brother? LOL

Also wouldn't the audience realize that Alfred and Robert were the same two men that were tying the knots on Julia?

Lastly, i kept shouting at the screen to Robert, "Why the hell don't you perform CPR on Julia?" I mean he just sat there and did nothing. But the i remembered that is was the 1800's and CPR was developed in the late 1950's by Drs. James Elam and Peter Safar.


So all in all, although its hella disturbing its pretty good. I still like THE ILLUSIONIST better but i appreciate THE PRESTIGE.


PS - Even though Robert had a hot body, i think if i had to chose between, Robert and Alfred to have sex, id choose Alfred. I sympathised more with him and besides Robert did some pretty bad things, most notably killing himself a 100 times to get revenge on a man for something his brother did. I like badass sometimes because Sylar (from heroes) is hot even though he kills alot of people but something rubs me the wrong way when i think about all the Roberts that drowned.

 

[luminum]

This is from the Movie Spoiler and maybe it'll clear up your questions:

"Robert Angier did not die while performing the Transported Man. The machine which Tesla made for him would create a duplicate in his place, then transport him to another location (the back of the theater). The water tank was placed under the trap door in the stage in order to catch and drown each of the duplicates. Blind stage hands were hired so that they would not see what was happening and Cutter was kept away from the backstage area to keep him from learning the secret. Angier's real name is Lord Cordlow, and he staged his own murder in order to frame Borden and get revenge. He then played on Borden's desperation by offering him financial assistance (from the mysterious Lord Cordlow) in exchange for the secrets to all of his tricks and the custody of his daughter (the things that meant the most to him).

Cutter confronts Angier about his deception and helps him move the Tesla device to the old burned out theater, where Angier promises it will stay, never to be used again. The film then cuts to Borden's execution. He briefly talks to his mysterious (previously mute) assistant, who then speaks the word "Goodbye". Shortly before being hung, Borden says "Abra Cadabra". The film then cuts back to the old theater, where Angier is surprised by a bouncing ball. He turns around and is shot. A figure emerges from the shadows and reveals himself to be.... Alfred Borden. Borden reveals that he has had a twin brother and they have been living their lives as one person (Alfred Borden) while the other disguised himself as Borden's mute assistant. To keep the illusion alive, they even cut the brother's fingers off to match the injury that Alfred suffered during the failed bullet catch. Borden confesses that he wasn't actually cheating on his wife. One of the brothers honestly loved the wife and the other fell in love with the assistant. Borden also reveals that he was simply using a double (his brother) to perform the Transported Man (exactly the way Cutter had suspected the trick was performed). As he's dying, Angier accidentally kicks over a lantern and sets fire to the theater. Borden walks away.

The film then cuts to the earlier scene of Cutter teaching the little blond girl (Borden's daughter) about the three stages of a magic act. Right after he explains the part about how the trick isn't complete until the vanished item is brought back, we see Borden walk into the room. He then hugs his daughter."

 

[Danugh]

^ Still doesnt explain why Robert shot his duplicate or the duplicate shot Robert.

 

[luminum]

Angier never shot and killed anyone. The only time he shot a gun was when he intentionally messed up Borden's "Bullet Catch" trick. He put a real bullet in the gun and shot off Borden's two fingers.

Later, when Angier framed Borden for "killing" one of his many duplicates, Borden revealed that he had a twin brother, who he switched with during every performance to do the "Transporting Man" trick. So when the accused Borden was sentenced to death by hanging, his twin brother went and shot Angier for framing his brother.

So no dupe ever shot anyone. Angier made the dupes and drowned "himself" in the tank of water each time he did his own version of the "Transported Man". It was probably confusing because Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are both dark-haired and in Tuxedos.

The only people in a shoot out were Borden's brother Lord Callow, who shot and killed Angier.

 

[Danugh]

Watch it again, there is a quick scene i think it was when Robert first tested the machine and then 2 Roberts appeared and then a Robert reached for the gun and shot the other Robert.


I just wanted to know why there was an instinct to kill the duplicate or for the duplicate to kill the original.

 

[RobinGoodfellow]

It wasn't an instinct; it was planned. The original had placed a gun, cocked and ready to be used if the trick worked, so that he could kill the duplicate he only wanted one of himself running around). However, the teleport was a bit much, and so the duplicate had a chance and exploited it.

RG

 

[bigpayback]

Angier never shot and killed anyone. The only time he shot a gun was when he intentionally messed up Borden's "Bullet Catch" trick. He put a real bullet in the gun and shot off Borden's two fingers.

Later, when Angier framed Borden for "killing" one of his many duplicates, Borden revealed that he had a twin brother, who he switched with during every performance to do the "Transporting Man" trick. So when the accused Borden was sentenced to death by hanging, his twin brother went and shot Angier for framing his brother.

So no dupe ever shot anyone. Angier made the dupes and drowned "himself" in the tank of water each time he did his own version of the "Transported Man". It was probably confusing because Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are both dark-haired and in Tuxedos.

The only people in a shoot out were Borden's brother Lord Callow, who shot and killed Angier.

So you're saying Christian Bale's character Borden also had a twin brother because I was under the impression Angier (Hugh Jackman) was the only one with a identical twin. The ending confused me when I saw it. I understood the movie until the ending.

 

[valis23]

I just saw it. Very impressive. I about dropped my teeth when the opening credits showed it was based on a book by Christopher Priest. He wrote two of the most interesting Sci Fi books I've ever read -Indoctrinaire and Inverted World. This movie suffered a bit from editing down to a movie format, but it has the same attention to detail and structure. Priest is a real hidden gem. It's great to see him finally getting his due.