KEY POINTS:
The Illusionist is a dark and brooding love story, unique and not a little intriguing, but strangely emotionless. A Hollywood attempt at an art house film, by director and screenwriter Neil Burger, it's a precise, theatrically inspired period piece set in Vienna at the start of the 20th century.
As with Christopher Nolan's period piece The Prestige which was released earlier in the year, magic is at its heart.
The Illusionist tells the story of Eisenheim (Norton), a sombre and mysterious magician who returns to his home city after many years travelling the world, and entrances audiences with his magic act. Not the Las Vegas kind of magic, more a minimalist, supernatural variety that sees Eisenheim with just a steely stare bend the laws of nature and challenge his audience's beliefs in the afterlife.
Soon after his arrival, Eisenheim catches the attention of the dictatorial-like Crown Prince Leopold (Sewell) who becomes obsessed with proving that Eisenheim's magic is easily explainable. When it becomes apparent to the Crown Prince that Eisenheim has taken an interest in his fiancee, Sophie von Teschen, (Jessica Biel doing her best Scarlett Johansson impersonation), he goes out of his way to have him declared a fraud and arrested. The poor man given the task of doing this is Chief Inspector Uhl, played brilliantly by Paul Giamatti.
As romance, magic, politics and, ultimately, murder combine, the line between what is real and what is unreal gradually disappears - as you'd expect from a film about illusion.
The outcome of the film will be obvious to some but it doesn't really matter whether you anticipate it or not, as the slowish pacing and tendency to hide as much as it reveals about the characters and magic, leads to an underwhelming conclusion. Any investment you might have in the characters evaporates, and all that is left is an appreciation of a well acted and designed film - and curiosity as to just how Eisenheim does those magic tricks.
Cast: Edward Norton, Rufus Sewell, Jessica Biel, Paul Giamatti
Director: Neil Burger
Running time: 109 mins
Rating: M, violence and sexual references
Screening: SkyCity, Rialto, Berkeley
