Decades Project: 2000s Movie–The Prestige

I need to do a ranking of Christopher Nolan movies. I think this movie may be my favorite, which is crazy considering how much I love Inception, Interstellar, and The Dark Knight. Honestly, I have enjoyed every Nolan film, but these four are my favorites, and it would be a tough debate for me to put one of them higher than The Prestige. 

If you have never seen the movie, it is about two rival magicians. I remember the previews for this, and they did not do the film justice. This movie is about rivalry, but really about obsession, and how far someone will go for their craft/passion/art. 

This is going to be spoilery, so watch the movie, then come back…

There is a scene where Angier (Hugh Jackman) is becoming obsessed with trying to figure out how Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) does his teleporting man trick. He swears up and down that it is not a body double, he has gone to every show for weeks. He cannot spot the double. Cutter (Sir Michael Caine) insists it has to be a body double. But Angier will not hear it, Borden’s diary leads Angier to Tesla (the diary ends up being a fake, but Borden knew that Angier’s obsession would force him to follow it to the end). We (the viewer) should get an idea of how the trick is done because early on Cutter tells them both to see a Chinese magician, and figure out his trick. Borden figures it out instantly, he says that the man’s entire demeanor is the act (so he can hide the bowl and drum between his legs). Borden recognizes it because he is that committed to his act. But in the end, Angier’s obsession teaches him about sacrifice…

Damn, I love this movie. I may watch it again tonight!

Also, you get David Bowie and Andy Serkis as supporting actors.