Are you watching closely?

The answer to this question is most likely not. As "The Prestige" did somewhat modest business despite good reviews. Plus the earlier release of "The Illusionist" stole a little bit
of the market on Magician movies.

For me, "The Prestige" was one of the best movies of 2006. Directed by Christopher Nolan(Batman Begins, Memento, Insomnia) and based on the novel by Christopher Priest; "The Prestige stars Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as rival magicians Robert Angier and Alfred Borden in the late 19th Century. After a terrible accident on stage that claims Angier's wife, a game of sabotage escalates between the two.

Borden invents a trick called the Transported Man. This illusion gnaws at Angier, desperate to find out his secret. His despreation takes him to Colorado where he meets up with the mysterious Tesla(wonderfully played by David Bowie).

The story can be hard to follow if you are not, as Christian Bale says during the movie, "Are you watching closely?" It is a movie that requires more than one viewing to get the full effect. Jackman and Bale are excellent and are ablely supported by Michael Caine and Scarlett (yeah baby!!) Johannson.

So, turn off the phone, pop some popcorn and turn off the lights. The Prestige is one heck of a trick!