We've talked about Christopher Nolan before, and how his career has spanned the highs and lows of flying rodent superheroes, Tom Hardy in an airplane, and inadvertently epidemic trailer booming noises. Here's a flick that doesn't seem to get as talked about as much among his repertoire--well, not in my circles at any rate. And, to my pleasant surprise, it did stand out as one offering much to talk about.
It's adapted from the Christopher Priest novel of the same name--an author I happened to meet by chance at one time, and I do regret not being more aware of the book or film at that point. The topic is one I also found personally appealing--stage magic of the early 1900s, and the filmmakers evidently found it evocative too, with the odd cameo of actual real world magicians like Ricky Jay. If you're into endlessly looking up videos of card tricks, that's a person worth geeking out over appearing here.
But I get ahead of myself--what's the plot? As we find out, via Nolan's tried and tested anachronic ordering (and if you're not fond of that kind of jumping about, skip out, as this doesn't skimp on it), Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are stage magicians jostling for fame and recognition in the magic scene of the aforementioned era, with a very personal vendetta between them. You do get a good sense of what a big deal this might've been at the time--before any sort of visual home media, before radio even, the theaters and stages were inevitably rife with acts of vaudeville, comedy, and of course magic. In this sort of environment, and considering how cutthroat modern entertainment can get behind the scenes, it certainly gets you in with something familiar yet placed in an utterly different time and context.
In between this, Michael Caine--because Nolan has to get himself some Carter with virtually everything he does--serves as the more rational mind between the continual one-upmanship between our main leads, as essentially the planner behind many an act. Things get intense enough that Jackman's assistant (Scarlett Johnasson) is roped into being some sort of honeypot spy, and all of this is enough drama and Edwardian fame-chasing to certainly serve as enough material for several acts.
That is until we get to the middle, and we're introduced to a twist involving David Bowie, of all people, as Nikola Tesla. Seeing Ziggy Stardust playing a name like that is marquee value enough to pull in someone idly curious, but that's only the beginning. Here, reality gets kicked in the balls as the plot turns into something very different and very ridiculous--but played straight enough that you're more than likely to keep watching one way or the other. Some will scoff in incredulity, otherwise will be gripped, but hell if I wasn't on board.
The final act and ending keep going in this manner, with the film having transitioned into something vaguely resembling a pre-diesel Twilight Zone episode; whether it's Nolan or Priest who expressed it, I have to give kudos. It's probably too jarring for some--indeed, objectively it's a huge swerve beyond the relatively grounded first act--but it offers plenty to talk about. I have a soft spot for that which, while it may not be perfect, yields plenty of discussion that can go either way--something that always extends the enjoyment.
It's not Nolan's best film, but it's definitely an interesting one, overshadowed as it may have been at the time by his Dark Knight flicks. I can definitely see how it might not prove to everyone's taste, between bickering main characters and the aforementioned swerve, but it's that latter element and the nice attention to detail of a long gone scene that might just make worth a watch nevertheless. If that sounds fun, certainly give it a watch and judge for yourself.
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