Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale star as magician’s assistants turned dangerous and conniving headlining rivals.  Jackman plays Robert Algier, an illusionist with a head for bigger things.  Never wanting to be trumped, his rivalry with fellow illusionist Alfred Borden turns ugly when Borden is found to possibly be responsible for the death of Algier’s wife.  The blows turn ugly in a back-and-forth battle for supremacy of showmanship and behind-the-scenes revenge.

There have been a lot of comparisons to The Prestige and The Illusionist.  The only viable comparison is the fact that both movies deal greatly with magicians.  The similarities stop there as these movies are every bit the same as Schindler’s List and The Sound of Music are simply because both movies deal with nazis.  Although both movies are fantastical, The Prestige rings more true and a little less play-like.

Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Christopher Priest’s gripping novel is spot-on.  Ironically, the Batman Begin’s director is like a more mature Tim Burton in style and story.   The lack of maturity in Burton’s style is not a bad thing but the life of that creativity mirrors that of a child’s maturity.  With Nolan’s Burton-style darkness with grown-up themes, he could potentially outshine that of his Batman predecessor.