The Prestige

I don't know how many years it's been since I've last seen this movie but it certainly has been too long.  This is another one of the many classics that Chris Nolan has made and I feel it is his first true classic.  Memento had a great story and great acting but I feel in regards to it feeling like what I believe it means to be a Christopher Nolan movie with the spectacle, especially in regards to the image involving ambitious practical effects, The Prestige is his first to achieve that with the story and acting being top tier.  Of course this is ironic considering the film is about spectacle and works to an extent as a metaphor for filmmaking in general in talking about how the audience just wants to be fooled but still wants a level of realism which I'd say is a balance that Nolan has perfected brilliantly throughout his filmography.  

Of course I say The Prestige is his first film to reach this level because I feel Insomnia and Batman Begins lack in regards to the story.  Not that those movies have bad stories, they are interesting and honestly better than most out there but I feel they don't quite reach the level of quality that Nolan usually delivers.  

With that being said, I do feel one aspect of Nolan's film work that I feel isn't bad but isn't quite at the level as the other parts of his craft is the cinematography.  Like I said it isn't bad and I feel he tries to make up for it with the shots he has that speaks to his directing but I feel his use of lighting is serviceable but I feel it doesn't add as much to his films.  This is surprising to me considering how much of a Kubrick fan he seems to be and seeing how Kubrick was a master of the screen, especially with cinematography, making shots that feel like paintings in a museum that had a next level of stylization due to his use of lighting whereas Nolan's use of lighting tends invoke a similar vibe amongst most of his films.  It's not bad but more surprising he doesn't do more with only a few exceptions that exist in his more recent films which has me excited to see if he experiments more with The Odyssey.  

One other thing that I noticed more this time while watching The Prestige is how great of a performance Hugh Jackman delivers.  Honestly the entire cast was phenomenal but it caught my attention more specifically with Hugh Jackman playing Mr. Root, the double he uses for his Real Transported Man trick.  I remember when watching the movie as a kid and still to this day, seeing Mr Root impersonate and ridicule Angier, it legitimately feels like seeing someone else speak and not the same person and just his ability to portray both characters who are miles apart so flawlessly was just perfection.  This is definitely one of Jackman's best performances.